And then there were four.
As we get set for two stellar Division Finals showdowns on Saturday, let’s refresh your memory with some of the outstanding action we’ve come to expect at this time of year.
Here are five of the top moments from some of the most recent Division Final weekends.
2024 CFL PLAYOFFS
» Matchups Set: Division Finals head to Montreal and Winnipeg
» 6 matchups to watch in the Western Final
» 6 matchups to watch in the Eastern Final
» Sign up and watch CFL games on CFL+ in the U.S. and Internationally
2023 – À LA MAISON!
We’re not going back very far to kick us off. Early in last year’s Eastern Final, Montreal’s Marc-Antoine Dequoy gave us one of the league’s most memorable moments in recent history. On the road against the heavily favoured and record-setting Argos, Dequoy set the tone for a stunning afternoon with a 101-yard pick-six on the game’s opening drive. It was a sign of things to come.
Near the end of their torrid run to winning the 110th Grey Cup, the Alouettes turned over 16-2 Toronto a mind-boggling nine times. Montreal picked off Chad Kelly on four different occasions, forced him to fumble once, and turned over the Argos on downs four times en route to a 38-17 win.
But it was Dequoy’s early electrifying dash that punctuated one of the biggest upsets in recent years.
QB Cody Fajardo almost made a game-winning play in 2019 with the Roughriders in the Western Final (Matt Smith/CFL.ca)
2019 – FOURTH QUARTER DRAMA
As the Bombers and Riders get set to meet in the Manitoba capital this weekend, it’s hard to forget what happened when these two bitter rivals went toe-to-toe five years ago. It’s difficult to wrap your head around, but at the time it was the first meeting between Saskatchewan and Winnipeg in a Western Final since 1972. And it was well worth the wait.
In what was a defensive slugfest, a fourth quarter Brett Lauther field goal got the Roughriders within a possession and set us up for a wild finish. Trailing 20-13, Saskatchewan moved the ball all the way to the one-yard line with just over two minutes remaining only to be stopped and turned over on downs.
But even after a huge goal line stand, the Bombers hadn’t closed the door. The Riders got the ball back and quarterback Cody Fajardo hit Kyran Moore on a massive third-and-long to get back in the red zone. On the final play of the game, and with a chance to send it to overtime, Fajardo’s pass hit the crossbar and landed incomplete for a white-knuckle Winnipeg win.
2015 – HANK TURNS BACK THE CLOCK
Ottawa’s first trip to the Grey Cup, in just their second year of existence, didn’t look like it was going to happen. But the mayhem late in the 2015 Eastern Final vs. Hamilton ended up falling in their direction in a finish most CFL fans won’t forget.
Trailing 28-21 with just over 90 seconds remaining, Tiger-Cats quarterback Jeremiah Masoli hit Luke Tasker on a 22-yard highlight reel touchdown pass to square the score and put us all on overtime watch. Henry Burris had other ideas, however.
Under centre for the REDBLACKS on the following possession, Burris almost gave Hamilton instant field position on a pass that was fingertips away from being intercepted. Then, backed up on second-and-25, Burris made magic happen. From his own 18, and after a bobbled snap, Burris hit Greg Ellingson at midfield and let him do the rest for a 93-yard game winning touchdown with just over a minute to go.
2022 – DOING WHAT HE DOES
Janarion Grant had a post-season for the ages in 2022, and it started in the Western Final. Leading the Lions 9-7 early in the second quarter, Winnipeg’s Grant reeled in a punt and did what only he can. Grant beat four different defenders on the far side of the field before eluding a fifth while cutting across to the near side for a 93-yard touchdown.
One week later, Grant made Grey Cup history by returning a punt 102 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. If we didn’t know Grant was the CFL’s most electrifying returner going into the 2022 playoffs, there was simply no argument once they were done.
QB Ricky Ray led the Argos to a 25-21 win in the 2017 Eastern Final (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
2017 – THE COOLEST CUSTOMER
The Argos had a flare for the dramatic in 2017, didn’t they? We all remember their improbable 27-24 win over Calgary in the 105th Grey Cup. But they wouldn’t have even been in position to pull off that upset had it not been for Ricky Ray’s buzzer beating heroics a week prior in the Eastern Final.
Leading 18-3 after three quarters, Toronto seemed to be in good shape against the crossover Roughriders. But in the blink of an eye, Saskatchewan scored 18 straight points to take a three-point lead with less than two minutes remaining. And that’s when the calm, cool, and collected Ray took over.
As part of the game winning drive, Ray hit tailback James Wilder Jr. on a gutsy wheel route on third-and-five. A few plays later, it was receiver Armanti Edwards reeling in a Ray pass to put the Argos on the one-yard line. Cody Fajardo finished the drive off with a quarterback sneak to give Toronto a heart stopping 25-21 win.