Another season, another end-of-year wrapup. As cliché as it is to write this, the CFL genuinely did leave their best for last, with a barn-burner of a Grey Cup game that provided all of us with a thrilling ending! Before the recap, we’ll lead off with the final round of league news for 2023:

• The 2023 CFL award winners were also announced on Thursday, November 16th, in advance of the Grey Cup game.
  • Most Outstanding Player: QB Chad Kelly, TOR
  • Most Outstanding Defensive Player: DE Mathieu Betts, BC
  • Most Outstanding Canadian: RB Brady Oliveira, WPG
  • Most Outstanding Lineman: OL Dejon Allen, TOR
  • Most Outstanding Special Teams Player: KR Javon Leake, TOR
  • Most Outstanding Rookie: DB Qwan’tez Stiggers, TOR
  • Coach of the Year: Ryan Dinwiddie, TOR
  • Hugh Campbell Distinguished Leadership Award: George Hopkins, equipment manager, CGY
  • Jake Gaudaur Veterans’ Award (player best portraying positive qualities found in members of the Canadian Armed Forces): WR Brayden Lenius, SSK
  • Tom Pate Memorial Award (for community service and sportsmanship): K Brett Lauther, SSK
• Blue Bombers RB Brady Oliveira is attracting some attention south of the border, with some NFL workouts planned in the near future. Hard to say if he’ll be able to hack in the league, where running backs are a dime a dozen, but he could potentially be a third-down power type if used correctly in smaller field four-down ball. I would expect to see him back in Winnipeg next year all the same… but you never know.
• The final Canadian football game of the season happens this Saturday in Kingston, ON, where the Canadian U Sports Vanier Cup is being held this year at Queen’s University’s Richardson Stadium. The Université de Montréal Carabins will face the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds for the rights to the national title game; I expect this game to be close to sold out – the 10,500 seat stadium is one of the best in the entire country for Canadian university football. Should be a fantastic game.

Onto the game!

110th GREY CUP RECAP

 (1W) Winnipeg 24 vs. (2E) Montreal 28, Tim Hortons Field, Hamilton, ON

First Quarter

Montreal won the coin toss, and elected to defer to the second half. With the Bombers opening the game with possession, they set the tone early by kicking a field goal on their opening drive of the game. Montreal couldn’t respond in kind on their first chance of the night, and Winnipeg continued to show some real creativity through the first quarter. Brady Oliveira, the newly-anointed Most Outstanding Canadian of the 2023 CFL season, extended Winnipeg’s lead to 10-0 on a rush TD from 5 yards out, cutting right down the middle as he crashed through the line. Despite the tough start to the game, Montreal finally answered back, with RB William Stanback getting the Als on the board with a rushing TD of his own. Montreal ended the quarter down just a field goal, trailing by a score of 10-7.

Second Quarter

While this was a lower-scoring quarter, there were still a number of eyebrow-raisers in this frame of the game. Als return man James Letcher, Jr. had the ball stripped on a punt return, and Bombers long snapper Mike Benson pounced on it; Montreal challenged, but were unsuccessful. Later, Als DB Kabion Ento managed to get a hand on a deep ball intended for Winnipeg receiver Drew Wolitarsky in the end zone, stalling out a Bombers drive. Dakota Prukop did manage to get a short-yardage TD to stretch Winnipeg’s lead to 17-7. As time wound down to end the half, Montreal pushed down deep to get back into scoring position; unfortunately, despite being right down to the goal line, Winnipeg’s D held firm and the Alouettes were stuffed twice on second and third down, ending the half with nothing to show for the big drive. A bold play, but one I agreed with even in the heat of the moment; with the chance to start the second on offence, down just one score, Montreal would have lots of time to make up for any missed opportunities.

Halftime

Green Day were pretty good, actually, although I can only imagine that every band member probably has some fibre supplements worked into their regular touring diets by this point in their life. Always hard to put on a good show in a venue not designed for music in very cold temperatures – they did very well to make it entertaining. I guess mostly I’m just concerned about the relentless march of time and how it swallows us all in the end.

Third Quarter

Montreal quickly made up for boffing their last drive of the first half; in two plays, Cody Fajardo hit Austin Mack with a deep shot right down the middle, and then found Cole Spieker on the right side of the end zone on the very next play. Down just a field goal, the Als had new life in the game. Winnipeg did well to grind away and run the clock down, but had a tough time putting any points on the board; Als DB Kabion Ento was again a major factor in killing a Bomber drive by picking off Zach Collaros in the end zone, jumping the route on a ball intended for WR Kenny Lawler. The quarter ended 17-14 for Winnipeg, but one could sense something coming late from the Als…

Fourth Quarter

Winnipeg picked off Cody Fajardo early in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t do anything with the added opportunity on offence and were forced to punt. On Montreal’s next drive, it was once again Austin Mack being a huge factor – he scored a TD off of a bubble screen, cutting to the left and running it into the end zone and giving Montreal its first lead of the game. With the Als now up 21-17, Winnipeg needed to get something going to try and build the momentum that had been lacking for much of this second half. Backup QB Dakota Prukop capped off another long drive by punching the ball in for his second rushing TD of the night, giving the lead back to the Western champs, 24-21. With time winding down, Montreal would need everything to go right on their limited time left to respond.

Montreal’s last drive looked like it wasn‘t going to pan out; Cody Fajardo was sacked for a big loss on first down, setting up a 2nd-and-18 from midfield. Montreal elected to call a timeout with just over a minute left. With no options, he scampered for a 13-yard to set up 2nd and 5 to try and get the Als into field goal range. He could’ve gone with a checkdown… but instead found Cole Spieker for another huge catch, hitting the first down on a slant to the sideline. And on the very next play… touchdown, Tyson Philpot! Right over the middle! The Als took a 28-24 lead with just 13 seconds left to play. With Winnipeg needing a TD, they couldn’t get the job done, and dropped their second Grey Cup in a row.

Aftermath

It’s Montreal’s first Grey Cup win since 2010 – the last time they even appeared in the championship game. The Als had an absolutely incredible run to end 2023, winning eight straight games, including all three of their postseason matchups, and defeated both a juggernaut 16-2 Toronto team to make it to the Grey Cup, but also beat a Winnipeg team that’s the first to make it to four straight championship games in over forty years. That’s an amazing achievement. When you consider that the team largely missed out on free agency this past offseason due to not having an owner, team president or significant football ops staff in place due to the sale process, that’s even more remarkable. It’s also a testament to how both HC Jason Maas and QB Cody Fajardo clearly made better use of their new opportunity working together than they did during their time in Saskatchewan.

Winnipeg – once again a significant favourite to win another title – now drops to 2-2 in their trips to the final on their current streak. It’s difficult to win titles in any sport, including in Canadian football – but despite remaining, in all practicality, a model CFL franchise, one can only feel like perhaps there may be some changes coming to the team in light of this defeat. In particular, the Montreal passing game picked apart their secondary, despite having a league leader in interceptions in Demerio Houston patrolling the rear of the field. I don‘t really know what’s coming next, but they‘d still be insane to break up their strong core – particularly on the offensive side of the ball.

Montreal QB Cody Fajardo, who was cold as ice on the final drive of the fourth quarter that led to the game winning TD, was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Grey Cup, while WR Tyson Philpot, who scored the winning major, was named the Most Outstanding Canadian. Two perfect choices.

And with that, we’re officially into the CFL offseason once more.

SEASON RECAP & STATS

East Division Standings

West Division Standings

x – clinched playoff spot
y – clinched division
e – eliminated from playoff contention

All stats indicated in italics denote the season leader in that category.

BC LIONS

The Maestro’s Pre-Season Prediction: 10-8

Season Record: 12-6 (T-2nd of 9, 2nd in West; lost in West Final to WPG)

Home Record: 6-3 (3rd)

Away Record: 6-3 (T-2nd)

Divisional Record: 8-4 (2nd)

Total Points For: 495 (3rd)

Total Points Against: 439 (4th)

Total Passing Yards: 5672 (1st)

Total Passing TDs: 35 (2nd)

Total Rushing Yards: 1391 (9th)

Total Rushing TDs: 10 (9th)

Total Turnovers: 34 (3rd)

Leading Passer: V. Adams, Jr. (16 GP, 4769 yards, 333-488 pass attempts, 68.2% completion rate, 31 TD, 18 INT, 105.5 efficiency rating)

Leading Rusher: T. Mizzell (14 GP, 157 carries, 773 yards, 4.9 YPC, 3 TD)

Leading Receiver: K. Hatcher (14 GP, 78 catches, 121 targets, 1226 yards, 10.1 YPC, 6 TD)

Leading Kick returner: T. Williams (18 GP, 57 returns, 1315 yards, 23.1 average, 0 TD)

Leading Punt returner: T. Williams (18 GP, 74 returns, 878 yards, 11.9 average, 0 TD)

Leading Tackler: B. Hladik (18 GP, 102)

Leading Pass interceptor:  G. Peters (18 GP, 4)

Leading Sacker: M. Betts (18 GP, 18)

Leading Field goal kicker: S. Whyte (18 GP, 50/53, 94.3%, longest 51 yards)

Major questions for next season:

• The Lions went toe-to-toe with the Blue Bombers for the division title this season, and it wasn’t until late in October that Winnipeg finally clinched the crown. If the Bombers’ roster turns over in a more significant way heading into 2024, is this coming season the best chance that BC has to win the West?
• What can the Lions do to get their run game more active and involved in 2024?

CALGARY STAMPEDERS

The Maestro’s Pre-Season Prediction: 11-7

Season Record: 6-12 (6th of 9, 3rd in West; lost in West Semifinal to BC)

Home Record: 3-6 (T-6th)

Away Record: 3-6 (5th)

Divisional Record: 4-7 (4th)

Total Points For: 412 (6th)

Total Points Against: 471 (6th)

Total Passing Yards: 4266 (7th)

Total Passing TDs: 19 (7th)

Total Rushing Yards: 1791 (6th)

Total Rushing TDs: 14 (T-5th)

Total Turnovers: 30 (2nd)

Leading Passer: J. Maier (18 GP, 4237 yards, 363-578 pass attempts, 62.8% completion rate,  19 TD, 15 INT, 85.1 efficiency rating)

Leading Rusher: D. Mills (15 GP, 142 carries, 802 yards, 5.6 YPC, 4 TD)

Leading Receiver: R. Begelton (15 GP, 86 catches, 122 targets, 1119 yards, 9.2 YPC, 5 TD)

Leading Kick returner: P. Logan (10 GP, 15 returns, 348 yards, 23.2 average, 10TD)

Leading Punt returner: T. Lewis (10 GP, 49 returns, 787 yards, 13.2 average, 0 TD)

Leading Tackler: M. Awe (18 GP, 140)

Leading Pass Interceptor: C. Judge (17 GP, 5)

Leading Sacker: M. Rose (18 GP, 10)

Leading Field goal kicker: R. Paredes (18 GP, 52/60, 86.7%, longest 53 yards)

Major questions for next season:

• In Jake Maier’s first complete season as the unquestioned #1 QB, he faltered. Does the team still have confidence enough in him to be an unquestioned #1, or will they perhaps to try to bring in someone who might want to compete with him a little for that starter’s job?
• The Stamps made the playoffs despite some subpar play and horrendous injury issues; that said, they didn’t go far. Was this year an aberration or a sign of an aging core in need of some fresh blood and shakeups in scheming and assignments?

EDMONTON ELKS

The Maestro’s Pre-Season Prediction: 7-11

Season Record: 4-14 (T-8th of 9; 5th in West; missed playoffs)

Home Record: 2-7 (9th)

Away Record: 2-7 (T-7th)

Divisional Record: 2-9 (8th)

Total Points For: 367 (9th)

Total Points Against: 517 (8th)

Total Passing Yards: 3980 (8th)

Total Passing TDs: 22 (5th)

Total Rushing Yards: 2224 (3rd)

Total Rushing TDs: 15 (4th)

Total Turnovers: 43 (5th)

Leading Passer: T. Ford (16 GP, 2069 yards, 153-227 pass attempts, 67.4% completion rate, 12 TD, 6 INT, 102.8 efficiency rating)

Leading Rusher: K. Brown (18 GP, 186 carries, 1141 yards, 6.1 YPC, 4 TD)

Leading Receiver: E. Lewis (12 GP, 48 catches, 74 targets, 844 yards, 11.4 YPC, 53 TD)

Leading Kick returner: C.J. Sims (14 GP, 44 returns, 931 yards, 21.2 average, 0 TD)

Leading Punt returner: C.J. Sims (14 GP, 53 returns, 545 yards, 10.3 average, 0 TD)

Leading Tackler: N. Morgan (15 GP, 107)

Leading Pass Interceptor: M. Lewis (13 GP, 4)

Leading Sacker: J. Ceresna (18 GP, 12)

Leading Field goal kicker:  D. Faithfull (18 GP, 22/28, 78.6%, longest 46 yards)

Major questions for next season:

• Tre Ford appeared to be a breath of fresh air at QB, as the team finally won with him taking on the starting job on a permanent basis. With Taylor Cornelius still owed some guaranteed money next season regardless of playing status, how will the team handle the potential salary cap pressure of paying Ford as a QB1 while still having Cornelius on the books?
• The Elks finally snapped their awful 22-game home losing streak earlier this year, but rebuilding the relationship with the fans is going to take some time. How is Edmonton going to fix their play to immediately win people over – particularly on the defensive side of the ball?
• If the Elks have another rough start in 2024, just how much rope does GM/HC Chris Jones actually have in order to keep making the changes he feels will get the team to the next level?

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

The Maestro’s Pre-Season Prediction: 9-9

Season Record: 6-12 (7th of 9, 4th in West; missed playoffs)

Home Record: 4-5 (5th)

Away Record: 2-7 (T-7th)

Divisional Record: 5-7 (5th)

Total Points For: 387 (8th)

Total Points Against: 551 (9th)

Total Passing Yards: 5047 (3rd)

Total Passing TDs: 20 (6th)

Total Rushing Yards: 1519 (8th)

Total Rushing TDs: 14 (T-5th)

Total Turnovers: 49 (9th)

Leading Passer: J. Dolegala (13 GP, 2641 yards, 216-333 pass attempts, 64.9% completion rate, 11 TD, 9 INT, 88.9 efficiency rating)

Leading Rusher: J. Morrow (16 GP, 202 carries, 907 yards, 4.5 YPC, 4 TD)

Leading Receiver: S. Bane (18 GP, 93 catches, 140 targets, 1104 yards, 7.9 YPC, 4 TD)

Leading Kick returner: M. Alford (18 GP, 51 returns, 1181 yards, 23.2 average, 0 TD)

Leading Punt returner: M. Alford (18 GP, 88 returns, 978 yards, 11.1 average, 3 TD)

Leading Tackler: L. Dean (18 GP, 104)

Leading Pass Interceptor: N. Marshall (17 GP, 5)

Leading Sacker: P. Robertson (17 GP, 7)

Leading Field goal kicker: B. Lauther (18 GP, 36/44, 81.8%, longest 54 yards)

Major questions for next season:

• Who’s going to be the Riders’ new head coach? How much say will they have in OC hiring and roster decisions? GM Jeremy O’Day has a three-year extension to run football ops, but he’s got a lot of work to do after Saskatchewan’s truly stunk it up and missed the playoffs due to epic late-season collapses two years running.
• How is Jeremy O’Day going to fix Saskatchewan’s D, which gave up the most points in the league last year – not to mention a zillion yards to boot?

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

The Maestro’s Pre-Season Prediction: 12-6

Season Record: 14-4 (2nd of 9; 1st in West; lost to MTL in Grey Cup)

Home Record: 8-1 (2nd)

Away Record: 6-3 (T-2nd)

Divisional Record: 10-2 (2nd)

Total Points For: 594 (1st)

Total Points Against: 377 (1st)

Total Passing Yards: 5263 (2nd)

Total Passing TDs: 42 (1st)

Total Rushing Yards: 2503 (1st)

Total Rushing TDs: 20 (3rd)

Total Turnovers: 35 (4th)

Leading Passer: Z. Collaros (18 GP, 4252 yards, 291-422 pass attempts, 69.0% completion rate, 33 TD, 13 INT, 112.8 efficiency rating)

Leading Rusher: B. Oliveira (18 GP, 260 carries, 1534 yards, 5.9 YPC, 9 TD)

Leading Receiver: D. Schoen (16 GP, 71 catches, 111 targets, 1222 yards, 11.0 YPC, 10 TD)

Leading Kick returner: J. Grant (8 GP, 19 returns, 427 yards, 22.5 average, 0 TD)

Leading Punt returner: J. Grant (8 GP, 36 returns, 473 yards, 13.1 average, 1 TD)

Leading Tackler: A. Bighill (17 GP, 74)

Leading Pass Interceptor: D. Houston (15 GP, 7)

Leading Sacker: W. Jefferson (17 GP, 11)

Leading Field goal kicker: S. Castillo (18 GP, 46/51, 90.2%, longest 53 yards)

Major questions for next season:

• With the Bombers losing a Grey Cup in truly heartbreaking fashion for the second consecutive season, will the team opt to keep the band together for another run at things? Or will we see some more significant roster turnover than in the past three seasons?
• Who’s likely to retire from the team following this second straight tumultuous loss? Will this result in a different division winner next year for the first time since 2019?
• Will Brady Oliveira legitimately bolt to the NFL? If so, is the team willing to feature Johnny Augustine in the RB1 role, or will they roll the dice in free agency and go after a different target?

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS

The Maestro’s Pre-Season Prediction: 10-8

Season Record: 8-10 (6th of 9, 3rd in East; lost in East Semifinal to MTL)

Home Record: 3-6 (T-6th)

Away Record: 5-4 (5th)

Divisional Record: 3-7 (7th)

Total Points For: 408 (7th)

Total Points Against: 461 (5th)

Total Passing Yards: 4870 (5th)

Total Passing TDs: 23 (4th)

Total Rushing Yards: 1740 (7th)

Total Rushing TDs: 12 (8th)

Total Turnovers: 47 (T-7th)

Leading Passer: T. Powell (16 GP, 2283 yards, 197-292 pass attempts, 67.5% completion rate, 10 TD, 9 INT, 89.5 efficiency rating)

Leading Rusher: J. Butler (17 GP, 235 carries, 1116 yards, 4.7 YPC, 7 TD)

Leading Receiver: T. White (17 GP, 75 catches, 124 targets, 1269 yards, 10.2 YPC, 8 TD)

Leading Kick returner: T. McAllister (16 GP, 41 returns, 1037 yards, 25.3 average, 0 TD)

Leading Punt returner: T. McAllister (16 GP, 56 returns, 602 yards, 10.8 average, 0 TD)

Leading Tackler: J. Thurman (18 GP, 98)

Leading Pass Interceptor: S. Katsantonis (18 GP, 5)

Leading Sacker: C. Sayles (17 GP, 7)

Leading Field goal kicker: M. Liegghio (17 GP, 41/47, 87.2%, longest 50 yards)

Major questions for next season:

• Will Bo Levi Mitchell and the Tiger-Cats have an acrimonious split due to the team not being willing to play him in the East Semifinal until the last quarter of the game? If he does go despite having two years left on his deal, is there another still out there willing to sign him, considering his long injury history?
• Scott Milanovich replaced Tommy Condell at OC and almost immediately got some more positive results from his offense. Will he be back next year, or is he going to be recruited to become a HC elsewhere in the league, such as in Saskatchewan?

TORONTO ARGONAUTS

The Maestro’s Pre-Season Prediction: 9-9

Season Record: 16-2 (1st of 9, 1st in East; lost in East Final to MTL)

Home Record: 9-0 (1st)

Away Record: 7-2 (1st)

Divisional Record: 10-0 (1st)

Total Points For: 591 (2nd)

Total Points Against: 396 (3rd)

Total Passing Yards: 4909 (4th)

Total Passing TDs: 26 (3rd)

Total Rushing Yards: 2046 (4th)

Total Rushing TDs: 30 (1st)

Total Turnovers: 27 (1st)

Leading Passer: C. Kelly (18 GP, 4123 yards, 270-394 pass attempts, 68.5% completion rate, 23 TD, 12 INT, 109.6 efficiency rating)

Leading Rusher: A.J. Ouellette (15 GP, 178 carries, 1009 yards, 5.7 YPC, 8 TD)

Leading Receiver: D. Daniels (17 GP, 52 catches, 86 targets, 1009 yards, 11.7 average, 8 TD)

Leading Kick returner: J. Leake (17 GP, 38 returns, 793 yards, 20.9 average, 0 TD)

Leading Punt returner: J. Leake (17 GP, 81 returns, 1216 yards, 15.0 average, 4 TD)

Leading Tackler: A. Pickett (18 GP, 124)

Leading Pass Interceptor: Q. Stiggers (16 GP, 5)

Leading Sacker: F. Orimolade (17 GP, 10)

Leading Field goal kicker: B. Bede (17 GP, 37/39, 94.9%, longest 53 yards)

Major questions for next season:

• Toronto did really well to build their fanbase after last year’s Grey Cup win and a historic regular season appearance – how will MLSE figure out to find a way to keep marketing the team to get butts in seats next season in the manner they were they were from Labour Day onwards this year?
• QB Chad Kelly’s play this year not only earned him an MOP award, but also a fat new extension that should pay him somewhere around $600K next year. How is that going to affect the Argos’ ability to retain key talent next year, particularly on the defensive side of the ball?

OTTAWA REDBLACKS

The Maestro’s Pre-Season Prediction: 8-10

Season Record: 4-14 (T-8th of 9, 4th in East; missed playoffs)

Home Record: 3-6 (T-6th)

Away Record: 1-8 (9th)

Divisional Record: 0-10 (9th)

Total Points For: 415 (5th)

Total Points Against: 507 (7th)

Total Passing Yards: 3967 (9th)

Total Passing TDs: 11 (9th)

Total Rushing Yards: 2296 (2nd)

Total Rushing TDs: 22 (2nd)

Total Turnovers: 47 (8th)

Leading Passer:  D. Crum (18 GP, 3109 yards, 266-385 pass attempts, 69.1% completion rate, 10 TD, 12 INT, 89.0 efficiency rating)

Leading Rusher: D. Williams (15 GP, 182 carries, 1009 yards, 5.5 YPC, 3 TD)

Leading Receiver: J. Hardy (18 GP, 85 catches, 127 targets, 1009 yards, 7.9 YPC, 4 TD)

Leading Kick returner: B. Dandridge (13 GP, 15 returns, 328 yards, 21.9 average, 0 TD)

Leading Punt returner: B. Dandridge (13 GP, 44 returns, 539 yards, 12.2 average, 1 TD)

Leading Tackler: F. Griffin (14 GP, 75)

Leading Pass Interceptor: B. Dandridge (13 GP, 5)

Leading Sacker: B. Carter (18 GP, 12)

Leading Field goal kicker: L. Ward (13 GP, 34/40, 85.0%, longest 54 yards)

Major questions for next season:

• Who’s going to be the new OC following the dismissal of Khari Jones? Will this actually fix the issues of the REDBLACKS’ offence being too boring, too vanilla, and most importantly, too predictable?
• Jeremiah Masoli may well be done forever in the CFL following his agonizing long return from last year’s knee injury, only to immediately follow it up with a torn Achilles. Knowing this likelihood, do the REDBLACKS have enough longterm faith in Dustin Crum to be the team’s QB1 for good, or do they look to bring in a vet to challenge him and duke it out for the job in training camp?
• How much more patience are fans going to have for their team being absolutely abysmal for three seasons running? Why on earth does it make sense to leave most of a football ops and coaching staff that has gone back to back in achieving a 4-14 regular season? Particularly when you at the immediate success of Montreal’s rapid rebuild?

MONTREAL ALOUETTES

The Maestro’s Pre-Season Prediction: 6-12

Season Record: 11-7 (4th of 9, 2nd in East; won Grey Cup vs. WPG)

Home Record: 5-4 (4th)

Away Record: 6-3 (T-2nd)

Divisional Record: 7-3 (4th)

Total Points For: 442 (4th)

Total Points Against: 392 (2nd)

Total Passing Yards: 4500 (6th)

Total Passing TDs: 17 (8th)

Total Rushing Yards: 1840 (5th)

Total Rushing TDs: 14 (T-5th)

Total Turnovers: 34 (3rd)

Leading Passer: C. Fajardo (18 GP, 3847 yards, 317-444 pass attempts, 71.4% completion rate, 14 TD, 12 INT, 96.9 efficiency rating)

Leading Rusher: W. Stanback (14 GP, 147 carries, 800 yards, 5.4 YPC, 2 TD)

Leading Receiver: A. Mack (17 GP, 78 catches, 120 targets, 1154 yards, 9.6 YPC, 4 TD)

Leading Kick returner: C. Worthy (14 GP, 48 returns, 1136 yards, 23.7 average, 0 TD)

Leading Punt returner: C. Worthy (14 GP, 57 returns, 608 yards, 10.7 average, 1 TD)

Leading Tackler: T. Beverette (18 GP, 89)

Leading Pass Interceptor: M.A. Dequoy (18 GP, 5)

Leading Sacker: S. Lemon (13 GP, 9)

Leading Field goal kicker: D. Cote (16 GP, 39/52, 75.0%, longest 51 yards)

Major questions for next season:

• Many media pundits – myself included – were proven wrong this year about predicting the Alouettes to have a bad year thanks to the slow ownership sale and president hiring. Will Montreal be able to keep this momentum moving forward? Or was this year just lightning in a bottle?
• How will having a French-Canadian owner for the first time in team history affect the branding and marketing of the team in the province of Quebec? Could the success of the Alouettes – not to mention the ongoing popularity of RSEQ Quebec university football – somehow build enough momentum to put a second team in Quebec City (at the Université de Laval stadium, most likely)?

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Thanks for reading the CFL Beat for the 2023 season! I look forward to returning in May of 2024 with all of the important football news we have to offer north of the 49th parallel. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your year, and enjoy the football of all stripes still left to play. See you around the comments section.