CFL 111th Grey Cup Preview and Picks

The CFL (Canadian Football League) is about to complete it’s 111th Grey Cup. The bad news is, this is our last opportunity to cash in on the CFL (hopefully you have a future ticket on one of these teams). The good news is, we still have an opportunity to cash in on the CFL with this last game! Let’s take a look at the best CFL Grey Cup picks!

CFL 111th Grey Cup Preview and Picks

The CFL Grey Cup will take place on Sunday, November 17th, at 6:00 PM Eastern (3:00 PM Pacific). While most of the CFL games have only been available on TSN or CFL’s website, the 111th Grey Cup will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network. This should bring more eyes to the CFL and to the game hopefully. It’s not ideal competing with a marquee matchup in the NFL like the Chiefs-Bills game and the 49ers-Seahawks game. However, it at least starts at a later time than they do.

In the 111th Grey Cup the Toronto Argonauts will face the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Bombers come in as a team that feels like destiny. They’ve been one of the better teams in the past several years. However, they have lost the last two Grey Cups they’ve appeared in. This year they started slow, a surprise to many, but bounced back in a big way.

The Argonauts started their season without starting quarterback Chad Kelly due to suspension. They’ll now end it without Chad Kelly after he suffered a broken tibia in the semi-final game. Let’s take a closer look at each team before we determine a winner.

Why The Toronto Argonauts Could Win

If you’re a fan of an underdog story, it’ll be harder to find a bigger underdog in a championship game than the Toronto Argonauts. So why should we consider them for our CFL Grey Cup Picks? As stated previously, the Toronto Argonauts lost their starting quarterback, Chad Kelly. He’s a polarizing player after serving his suspension and coming back to the CFL on a “last-chance agreement.”

Regardless on your feelings on Kelly, he’s out now. Nick Arbuckle will draw the start. Arbuckle has bounced around the CFL and it would be quite the “Cinderella Story” were he to lead the Argos to a Grey Cup Championship. Cameron Dukes will serve as the short-yardage quarterback.

The Argonauts also brought back Bryan Scott, who had been part of the team all of last year, as well as this year until Kelly came back. Those who follow me on social media know I’m a big Bryan Scott fan. In a perfect world, he enters this game in the second half and wins it for them. However, let’s say he doesn’t get that chance. How can these Argonauts win the game?

It starts with the coaching. Ryan Dinwiddie managed to keep his team winning enough games until Kelly came back, and then kept winning once he was back. He should rely on his offensive line and the run game. When they actually ran the ball, they ran it very well. They have one of the better offensive lines and Kadeem Carey is a stud.

Running the ball often, and tightening up on defense is their best hope as an underdog. Arbuckle must play mistake-free football, the defense has to play tight, and the Argos need to run the ball effectively. It will be a tough game for them. However, as the saying goes, nothing is impossible.

Why The Winnipeg Blue Bombers Could Win

The better question is why wouldn’t the Blue Bombers win? They’re nine-point favorites, a team of destiny feeling, and going against a backup quarterback. However, this is professional football and it’s not just going to be handed to them. So let’s take a look at why we considering them for our CFL Grey Cup picks.

It’s hard to point to one specific person on this offense to help them win. Their running back Brady Oliveira just won the Most Outstanding Player (MVP equivalent if you’re not familiar). He’s excellent at running the ball out of the backfield as well as catching passes out of the backfield. Their quarterback Zach Collaros is a veteran who’s been here before. He’s been in Grey Cups, he’s got a winning mentality, and despite his age, he can still play at a high level.

His high level of play was shown by the three touchdown passes he threw to Kenny Lawler last week in the Conference Finals. This receiving corps is stacked with talent. Kenny Lawler has played at a high level for many years in the CFL. Nic Demski has been on the Blue Bombers performing at a high level for years too. Newcomer Ontaria Wilson has been great as well. The Argonauts will have a hard time covering them all.

The Blue Bombers also have one of the best defenses in the league. The last time these two teams played, they held Toronto to 14 points with their starting quarterback playing. Now that he’s out, they should be able to swarm them even more. Prior to that game, they allowed Hamilton, a team that has been rolling to 10 points.

CFL Grey Cup Picks

That brings us to our 111th CFL Grey Cup Championship Picks. Winnipeg is a nine-point favorite and for good reason. All odds are against Toronto and they’ll need a couple of miracles to win this game. However, can they cover? It’d be a great story for Dinwiddie and Arbuckle to pull off the upset and get a ring this season. It’s a fictional story to this writer though.

The total is set at 51 as well. Both of these teams have played well this year. Their offenses have put up points. However, this is going to come down to a defensive battle. Chad Kelly’s injury seemed like too deflating of a moment. Too much to come back from. I just don’t see the Cinderella story being completed in this situation.

Final 111th CFL Grey Cup Picks: Blue Bombers (-9), Under 51