After 21 weeks and four playoff games. The final CFL game of the 2022 season came down to the 109th Grey Cup game on Sunday night at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Eastern Division champions Toronto Argonauts took on the Western Division champions Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
This was a David versus Goliath battle. On one side, the Argonauts were seeking their first Grey Cup win since 2017. On the other side, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers aimed to win their third straight Grey Cup title.
Since the Grey Cup’s first game in 1909, only four teams have won three straight titles with Toronto (1945-47), Edmonton (1954-56), Queen’s University (1922-24), and the University of Toronto (1909-11).
The longest Grey Cup winning streak belongs to Edmonton, who won five straight titles from 1978 to 1982. A win for Winnipeg would bring them one step closer. It took a while, but this game was an instant classic, and fans witnessed the passing of the torch to Toronto.
In the first half, it was the defenses that kept it a low-scoring game. Toronto kicker Boris Bede put the Argonauts in the lead 3-0 on a 46-yard field goal with 10:34 left in the first quarter.
Later in the first quarter, Toronto tried to pick up ten yards on second down, but Jackson Jeffcoat sacked McLeod Bethel-Thompson, taking them out of field goal range, and Toronto punted the ball. Meanwhile, Toronto’s defense was shutting out Winnipeg’s offense, and they couldn’t move the ball at all. Toronto led 3-0 after one quarter.
In the second quarter, Toronto quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw two passes for 54 yards. However, Thompson was sacked by Casey Sayles, forcing Toronto to go for a 36-yard field goal. Unfortunately, kicker Boris Bede missed the field goal, but the ball went out of bounds behind the endzone for a single point to 4-0 with 12:45 left.
Then, Winnipeg’s offense got going. Quarterback Zach Collaros threw a 39-yard pass to Dalton Schoen. Next, running back Brady Oliveira had two carries for 11 yards. Collaros threw two more passes to get the Blue Bombers to the Argo’s three-yard line. Two plays later, backup quarterback Dakota Prukop scored a touchdown with a quarterback sneak, putting Winnipeg up 7-4 with 7:29 left.
For the rest of the second quarter, the kickers did the scoring. First, Toronto kicker Boris Bede made a 36-yard field goal to tie the game 7-7 with 3:47 left. Then, Winnipeg got those three points back in a Marc Liegghio 45-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead with 45-seconds left. Before time expired, Toronto kicker Boris Bede missed a 52-yard field goal wide left and Janarion Grant took it out of the endzone for a 45-yard run to end the half up 10-7.
Toronto quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson was 10/21 for 142 yards, and running back Andrew Harris had five carries for 36 yards as part of Toronto’s 190 yards on offense. On the other side, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros was 6/10 for 95 yards, and running back Brady Oliveira had eight carries for 36 yards as part of Winnipeg’s 148 yards on offense.
In the third quarter, Toronto quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw two passes for 27 yards. Next, running back A.J. Ouellette found an opening on the left side and scored a four-yard touchdown to put Toronto up 14-10 with 11:30 left.
After the touchdown, Winnipeg responded. They marched down towards the Argo’s one-yard line before Dakota Prukop scored another touchdown with a quarterback sneak, giving them a 17-14 lead with 3:56 left. Late in the third quarter, Toronto reached their own 51-yard and had a decision to make on third down to begin the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Toronto punted the ball to Janarion Grant, who found an opening and scored a 102-yard touchdown. However, Marc Liegghio missed the extra point for a 23-14 lead with 14:38 left. Toronto responded with a Boris Bede 36-yard field goal, making it 23-17 with 12:40 left. That was the last series that McLeod Bethel-Thompson as he dislocated his thumb on his throwing hand and Chad Kelly took over for the rest of the game.
Dakota Prukop was brought in the next series for Winnipeg. However, on the second play, his pass was intercepted by Shaq Richardson. Luckily, Toronto moved the ball a bit before punting the ball back to Winnipeg.
Winnipeg moved the ball before stalling and punted the ball back to Toronto’s Javon Leake as he almost scored but was pushed out of bounds for a 44-yard gain. Three plays later, Chad Kelly took off for a 20-yard run. Two plays later, Kelly threw an eight-yard pass to DaVaris Daniels at the Blue Bombers’ five-yard line. Afterward, running back A.J. Ouellette scored a five-yard touchdown, putting Toronto up 24-23 with 3:40 left.
With their backs against the wall, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros tried to throw a pass but Henoc Muamba intercepted his pass. After failing to get a first down, kicker Boris Bede attempted a 42-yard field goal but it was blocked, giving Winnipeg a second chance.
After Zach Collaros was sacked twice, he threw an eight-yard pass to Greg Ellingson. In addition, they got a facemask penalty on Toronto for an automatic first down. They reached the Argo’s 40-yard line. Winnipeg kicker Marc Liegghio attempted a 47-yard field goal, but Toronto’s special teams blocked his kick with 54-seconds left.
Chad Kelly led the team to a victory formation, and the Toronto Argonauts won their 18th Grey Cup championship with a 24-23 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, ending Winnipeg’s attempt at a three-peat. This was their first Grey Cup title win since 2017.
During the championship celebration, Toronto linebacker Henoc Muamba, who was a former Winnipeg draft pick, was named the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player and Most Outstanding Canadian.
Toronto quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson was 15/28 for 203 yards, while backup quarterback Chad Kelly was 4/6 for 43 yards, and two carries for 21 yards. Running back Andrew Harris, who won two Grey Cups with Winnipeg, gets his third consecutive title. He finished with ten carries for 55 yards.
Backup running back A.J. Ouellette had six carries for 24 yards, and two touchdowns, and wide receiver Cam Phillips had four catches for 96 yards. Toronto’s defense allowed 286 yards, with 48 tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble, five pass breakups, and two interceptions.
Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros went 14/23 for 183 yards and one interception. Running back Brady Oliveira had 15 carries for 82 yards, and wide receiver Dalton Schoen had three catches for 78 yards. Winnipeg’s defense allowed 346 yards, with 48 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble, three pass breakups, and one forced fumble.
After the game, McLeod Bethel-Thompson told Chad Kelly that “this is his team now,” signaling what might be the end of Thompson’s CFL career. If this was his last game, he goes out as a two-time champion. He was the backup in Toronto’s last Grey Cup win in 2017, which was recent CFL Hall of Famer Ricky Ray’s last game.
This off-season, I think Toronto will sign a veteran quarterback like Dane Evans, who is expected to get released once Bo Levi Mitchell signs a contract in Hamilton.
This was an interesting year for Toronto. The East Division did not get off to a good start this year. Then, as the season went along, Toronto started to show why they were the class of the East Division with Montreal a close second. The East Division will be competitive next year, and Toronto will need to do a slight rebuild to stay ahead of Montreal, Hamilton, and Ottawa. If they make the right moves, they could repeat as champions next year.
For Winnipeg, it’s back to the drawing board. They were the dominant team all year long and got outplayed, outcoached, and outmatched by Toronto. They may have to let go of some of their older players and bring in younger ones to bolster the lineup on both sides of the ball.
Winnipeg will still be competing for the Western Division title. The only team that will challenge them is the BC Lions. Meanwhile, Calgary and Saskatchewan are going through a rebuild, and who knows what will Edmonton look like next year. For all we know, they could be a surprising team next year. Nevertheless, this loss should give Winnipeg motivation heading into next year. If they make some moves to get younger, they could reclaim the Grey Cup.
