Alouettes, Elks clash in a battle of divisional powers at 113th Grey Cup game

The 113th Grey Cup game today at McMahon Stadium will be a clash between two divisional powers, the Montreal Alouettes and the Edmonton Elks. Both teams finished as divisional leaders and champions. The Alouettes topped the CFL’s East Division with a record of 14-4, then claimed the East final with a 33-23 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The Edmonton Elks, on the other hand, finished first in the West Division with a 13-5 record, followed by a 28-16 win over the visiting B.C. Lions in the West final. Their season series against each other ended in a split. The Elks won 32-29 in Edmonton on June 20, while the Alouettes emerged victorious 48-30 in Montreal on August 8.

Notably, the Alouettes were runners-up in last year’s Grey Cup after losing to the Saskatchewan Roughriders 25-17 in Winnipeg. However, they did secure the 2023 championship in Hamilton with a thrilling 28-24 triumph over the Blue Bombers. Quarterback Cody Fajardo, who will take the field for the Elks today, was the Grey Cup MVP for the Alouettes in that victory.

Fajardo, making his third Grey Cup appearance, also claimed the title in 2017 as the backup quarterback for the Toronto Argonauts. The Argos defeated the Calgary Stampeders 27-24 in Ottawa. This will mark the Elks' first Grey Cup appearance since 2015 when they were known as the Eskimos. They secured that victory with a 26-20 win over the Ottawa Redblacks in Winnipeg.