• Stopping Winnipeg RB Brady Oliveira is a near-impossible task: He was the only RB last year to have 40+ explosive rushes (he had 47) and he almost never lost yards, with 92.7% of his rush attempts going for a positive gain.
• Can Hamilton QB Bo Levi Mitchell regain his top form? Mitchell had the second-lowest passing grade of the 17 quarterbacks to have at least 100 dropbacks last year, at 57.0. This was just a year after ranking fourth with an 83.5 passing grade.
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Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes
MONTREAL ALOUETTES VS. WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
The 2024 CFL season kicks off Thursday night with a Grey Cup rematch. The Alouettes open their championship defense season against a Blue Bombers team that’s had all offseason to prepare for revenge.
Montreal’s offense lost some key players over the offseason in running back William Stanback and wide receiver Austin Mack, but they are still led by the steady hand of quarterback Cody Fajardo. He posted an 87.2 PFF overall grade in the Grey Cup en route to winning MVP of the game. It’ll be interesting to see how he does against a Bombers defense that may take a step back this year.
Across the ball, we have a battle of best versus best. The Bombers have the top on-paper offense in the league, while the Alouettes have the top on-paper defense. Both teams will be looking to show that they’re the top on the field, not just on paper.
MATCHUP TO WATCH: WR KENNY LAWLER, WINNIPEG VS. CB CRE’VON LEBLANC, MONTREAL
LeBlanc is coming to the CFL after six seasons in the NFL, including two seasons of posting above-average coverage grades — 73.0 (2017) and 74.1 (2018). He earned a starting job as the boundary-side cornerback for this Montreal defense and will get arguably his toughest test of the season right off the bat.
Lawler is one of the best wide receivers in the CFL, if not the best. Last season, he led the league with a 2.75 yards per route run average and ranked sixth with 29 explosive receptions, despite missing six games. LeBlanc could be in for a rude introduction to the CFL if Lawler can have the type of game that he so often does.
PLAYER TO WATCH: RB BRADY OLIVEIRA, WINNIPEG
There are so many players to watch in this game, but there’s nobody as intriguing as last year’s Most Outstanding Canadian. Oliveira was the only non-quarterback to grade above 90.0 on offense and was the driving force behind the Bombers' offense all year long.
Oliveira rushed for 92 first downs last year, 29 more than second place. He was the only running back to have 40-plus explosive rushes (47), and he almost never lost yards, with 92.7% of his rush attempts going for a positive gain. Oliveira’s play last year made him the highest-paid running back in the CFL, and this game is the first opportunity he’ll get to show that he’s worth every penny.
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS VS. CALGARY STAMPEDERS
This game features a team going in the wrong direction against a team desperately trying to get over the hump. The Stampeders struggled last season and didn’t do a ton to improve over the offseason. They’ll be led by fourth-year quarterback Jake Maier, who they are hoping will take that next step. Last year was a mixed bag, as Maier ranked in the top four in both big-time throws (30) and turnover-worthy plays (30).
Across the field will be the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who are bringing out a defense bolstered by a ton of big offseason signings. Cornerback Jamal Peters, edge defender Brandon Barlow and interior defender Dewayne Hendrix should improve a defense that already features stars like interior defender Casey Sayles and cornerback Richard Leonard. That defense should be a big strength for a Hamilton team that may struggle to score points this season.
MATCHUP TO WATCH: LG BRYCE BELL, CALGARY VS. DI CASEY SAYLES, HAMILTON
Bryce Bell has moved all over the line in his career, spending significant time at center in 2022 and both tackle positions in 2023. This year, he’s moving inside to the guard position, where he has struggled in the past. Bell started at left guard in Week 1 of last year and was beaten six times for a 28.1 pass-blocking grade. He’s going to have to be better this year, as his first matchup is against the monster Casey Sayles.
The interior defender finished last year as a top-five pass rusher with 51 total pressures and an 84.0 pass-rushing grade. Sayles is also a very good run defender, which means Bell won’t be able to take any plays off if he wants to find success as an interior offensive lineman.
PLAYER TO WATCH: QB BO LEVI MITCHELL, HAMILTON
This is a homecoming for Mitchell, as he returns to his old team for the first time since being traded two years ago. Mitchell was very good in his final season in Calgary, but his play dropped off big last year, even before the injuries derailed his season.
Mitchell earned the second-lowest passing grade of the 17 quarterbacks to have at least 100 dropbacks last year, at 57.0. This was just a year after ranking fourth with an 83.5 passing grade. He will need to return to that 2022 form if he wants to carry this Tiger-Cats team back to the playoffs. Perhaps he’ll find it in the city where he enjoyed so much success throughout his career.
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS VS. EDMONTON ELKS
Arguably no team made as many big offseason moves as the Saskatchewan Roughriders. They brought in stars like running back A.J. Ouellette and right tackle Jermarcus Hardrick on offense while adding edge defender Malik Carney and linebacker Jameer Thurman to their defense.
Meanwhile, no team made as surprising a move as the Edmonton Elks did in bringing in quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson. With the strong and exciting play of Canadian quarterback Tre Ford last year, fans are not going to give MBT a lot of leeway before calling for Ford to replace him. A strong start to the season should help in that regard and give Elks fans hope that this team can finally turn it around.
MATCHUP TO WATCH: RB A.J. OUELLETTE, SASKATCHEWAN VS. LB NICK ANDERSON, EDMONTON
Rookie linebacker Nick Anderson showed enough this preseason to not only earn a spot on Edmonton’s roster, but also a starting role. Anderson had an impressive college career at Tulane, highlighted by a 2020 season where he posted one of the highest run-defense grades in the nation (91.6). But he’ll have his work cut out for him against the newly signed Ouellette, the toughest running back in the CFL to bring down, as evidenced by his league-leading 66 forced missed tackles and 3.9 yards after contact per carry average.
Ouellette was signed to be the spark for this offense that it’s been sorely missing, and this matchup will be one to watch against the rookie linebacker.
PLAYER TO WATCH: WR KURLEIGH GITTENS JR., EDMONTON
Obviously, McLeod Bethel-Thompson is someone to keep an eye on in this game, but it’s the receiver the Elks brought in to play with him that’s most intriguing. Gittens struggled last year, dealing with injuries and finishing with just 40 catches for 511 yards and only 20 first downs gained. But he was incredible the year prior, catching 94 passes for 1254 yards and 60 first downs. He ranked fifth in the league with 32 explosive receptions.
Who was Gittens' quarterback in 2022? Bethel-Thompson. Watch those two to see if they can pick up right where they left off and give Edmonton a top-end quarterback-receiver combo that could turn the team around.
BRITISH COLUMBIA LIONS VS. TORONTO ARGONAUTS
We finish Week 1 with a game that could very well be a Grey Cup preview. Both of these teams are built to win now, so this should be a fantastic contest. All eyes will be on Toronto’s quarterback position, where Cameron Dukes will be getting the start with reigning Most Outstanding Player Chad Kelly suspended for the first half of the season. He’s performed well before in limited opportunity, but how will he do in a full-time starting capacity?
Then there is BC quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., the highest-graded player in the CFL last year (92.4). He’ll be without his top two receivers from last year in Keon Hatcher (injured) and Dominique Rhymes (traded), so he’ll have to step up even more.
MATCHUP TO WATCH: WR DAMONTE COXIE, TORONTO VS. CB GARRY PETERS, BRITISH COLUMBIA
Coxie took a huge step forward in his sophomore 2023 season, turning 40 catches into 817 yards and five touchdowns. More than half of his receptions (21) were of the explosive variety. The hope is he can take another step, be more consistent and become a bona fide No. 1 receiver for the Argos. That’s going to be tough to do in Week 1 against Garry Peters.
Over the past two years, no cornerback has graded higher than Peters. He has allowed just one touchdown in coverage in that span while picking off 11 passes and breaking up 21 more. He’s the closest thing to a lockdown cornerback there is in the CFL, capable of plays that could single-handedly win this game for the Lions.
PLAYER TO WATCH: DI CHRISTIAN COVINGTON, BRITISH COLUMBIA
It was bittersweet for the Lions to see star edge rusher Mathieu Betts leave for the NFL after a season in which he led the league in virtually every pass-rushing metric. They tried to mitigate that loss by adding Canada native Christian Covington.
The defensive lineman has spent the past nine seasons in the NFL, so he brings an enormous amount of top-level experience to this Lions defensive line. Covington has 99 total pressure and 80 run stops over his NFL career. If he can use that experience to quickly transition to the Canadian game, he should find success very early — perhaps even immediately in his CFL debut.
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