With a trip to the 111th Gray Cup on the line, Saturday’s Western Final between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers is sure to be must-see TV.

The Bombers and Riders met three times during the regular season, with Winnipeg winning two of the games between these heated prairie rivals.

The first match of week 7 presented Shea Patterson at the quarterback position with Trevor Harris still sitting on the injured list. The Riders’ only victory of the season, 19-9, was a defensive battle that saw only one touchdown scored, a pass from Patterson to running back Clint Ratkovich. Saskatchewan’s defense limited the Bombers’ offense to just field goals – Sergio Castillo was good on three of his four attempts – and had an interception on Zach Collaros. This game improved Saskatchewan’s record to 5-1 and the Bombers fell to 2-5.

CFL 2024 PLAYOFFS
» All clashes: the division finals will take place in Montreal and Winnipeg
» 3 stats that could play an important role in the West final
» Head to head: who has the advantage in the West final?

Their next meeting was OK Tire’s Labor Day weekend matchup with the teams on very different streaks than their previous battle. Winnipeg got the better of Saskatchewan in this game, winning 35-33, its fourth straight victory. It was the Roughriders’ sixth straight week without a win. Winnipeg’s special teams made a big play, with Mario Alford release a punt and Nick Hallett pick it up to score.

Just a week later, the two teams met again for their annual Labor Day weekend rematch. The Bombers’ 26-21 victory was their fifth in a row and kept Saskatchewan on its winless streak. Kenny Lawler And Chris Streveler scored for the Bombers while Canadian cornerback Tyrell Ford removed Trevor Harris twice.

Since this last meeting of week 14, the Roughriders have changed the situation. They won four straight before losing their regular season finale, a game where their playoff seeding was already locked up and many starters were rested. Since then, Winnipeg has continued to win as well, going 4-1 to finish the season.

Who gets the upper hand over the other this weekend? We’ll find out soon enough, but until then, here are three storylines to watch out for in Saturday’s West Final.

WILL THE RUNNERS’ DEFENSE CONTINUE TO TAKE THE BALL?

Just like they did in the regular season, the Saskatchewan Roughriders won the battle of turnovers in last week’s Western Semi-Final. They removed Vernon Adams Jr. three times, committing just one turnover on downs, en route to victory and advancing to the West Final against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

They will be eager to continue to win the ball back against Zach Collaroswho threw the second most INTs in the regular season (15), behind Hamilton Bo Levi Mitchell (18). And don’t forget that the Roughriders’ defense had the second-most interceptions (24) in the regular season, led by Rolan Milligan Jr.who had a league-leading eight.

These turnovers could make the difference in the winner-takes-all game. While Brady Oliveira will be heavily used to establish the run (more on that later), Collaros will still need to air the ball out to his receivers with the interception leader and the rest of the ball defense patrolling the field.

KENNY LAWLER, THE DIFFERENCE MAKER?

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers passing attack in 2024 hasn’t been as potent as what we’re used to seeing over the past few seasons, with the team dealing with numerous injuries in their receiving corps . Winnipeg finished the regular season second-last in passing yards, 260.2 per game, just ahead of Calgary (260.1).

The playoffs are a whole different beast though, and even though Ontario Wilson (1,026 yards) was excellent for the Bombers and Nicolas Demski is still one of Zach Collaros‘ favorite and most reliable targets, the passing game can rest on the shoulders of Kenny Lawler.

After being injured until Week 11, Lawler improved as the season progressed. He’s heating up at the perfect time, with three of his last four outings going over 100 yards and he’s averaging 21.6 yards per catch over that span. The 30-year-old also caught two of his four touchdowns on the season in Week 17 against Edmonton and made countless contested and jaw-dropping catches along the way.

In two outings against Saskatchewan this season in Weeks 13 and 14, he was injured in their first meeting in Week 7, the six-foot-two, 199-pounder rushed for 118 yards and a major score . And don’t forget that in last year’s Western final against British Columbia, Lawler was the Bombers’ leading receiver with 83 yards on six catches.

BUILT FOR NOVEMBER

The West Final features two playoff-ready backs: Brady Oliveira and AJ Ouellette.

Looking back on the regular season, Ouellette only played one game against Winnipeg. He suited up in Week 7 where he ran the rock 17 times for 88 yards and missed Weeks 13 and 14 with a hip injury.

Oliveira played in all three, but the Riders’ defense, which has been excellent against the run in 2024 (league-low 80.3 rushing yards), limited him to just 134 yards on 32 carries. total.

As mentioned before, the playoffs are a whole different story and both of these guys have put in big performances when it matters most.

Just last week in the West Semifinal, Ouellette had two touchdowns for 70+ yards on 14 carries and completed both passes thrown for 15. Ouellette also played a role in the last year’s Eastern final, advancing to the Western semifinals. receiving and executing the play. The 29-year-old caught five of six passes thrown his way for 37 yards and ran the rock 14 times for 71 yards. And don’t forget his big day two years ago, during the 109th Gray Cup. Ouellette scored twice to help the Argonauts win the Gray Cup against the Bombers.

Oliveira has also been sensational in the playoffs. In last year’s West Final, the 27-year-old rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. In the 2022 West Finals, he was a man who couldn’t be stopped, rushing for 130 yards on 20 carries and adding another 37 yards through the air. In the 110th Gray Cup, Oliveira had 119 attempts and one touchdown on 19 attempts.

These two running backs have a similar style; they run hard, are almost impossible to take down on first contact, can pass into protection and catch the ball out of the backfield. Everyone will be able to rely on him to establish the course of their respective club. Who manages to help propel their team to the 111th Gray Cup?