 | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Date | November 17, 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stadium | BC Place | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Vancouver | ||||||||||||||||||
| Most Valuable Player | Nick Arbuckle, QB (Argonauts) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Most Valuable Canadian | Dejon Brissett, WR (Argonauts) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favourite | Blue Bombers by9+1⁄2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | Sofia Camara | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coin toss | Lucas Matheson | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Ben Major[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | Jonas Brothers | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 52,349 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Broadcasters | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | Canada (English):CTV,TSN Canada (French):RDS U.S. (English):CBS Sports Network Worldwide: CFL+ | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers |
| ||||||||||||||||||
The111th Grey Cup was played to decide theCanadian Football League (CFL) championship for the2024 season.[4] The game was played on November 17, 2024, atBC Place Stadium inVancouver, British Columbia.[5] TheToronto Argonauts defeated theWinnipeg Blue Bombers 41–24 to win their league-leading 19th Grey Cup championship. It was the Argonauts' second victory in three years while it was the Blue Bombers' fifth consecutive appearance in the championship game, but also their third straight loss. This was the 17th time that Vancouver has hosted theGrey Cup, the previous having been in2014.
On November 3, 2022, it was announced that the game had been awarded to the city ofVancouver and the hostBC Lions.[4] TheWinnipeg Blue Bombers were reportedly also bidding to host this game, but also submitted a bid for the112th Grey Cup game.[6] The 111th Grey Cup and its associated pre-game festivities were reported after the game to have brought $121.9 million in economic impact to Vancouver.[7]
Per the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement signed in 2022, the league had the option of starting the 2024 season by up to 30 days sooner, which could have significantly altered the date of this game.[8] However, the league chose to continue with the existing scheduling formula and confirmed that the game would be played on November 17, 2024 (the third Sunday of November).[5]
Canadian country singerOwen Riegling performed during the SiriusXM Kickoff Show and Canadian pop singer Sofia Camara sang thenational anthem backed by a guitarist, violinist, and a celloist. American pop rock trioJonas Brothers performed during theTwisted Tea Halftime Show; they performed shortened versions of eight of their songs, including "What a Man Gotta Do" and "Sucker" as well asNick's solo song "Jealous" and "Cake by the Ocean" byJoe's bandDNCE.[9][10]
The game was televised inCanada nationally onTSN, andRDS, with a free over-the-air telecast—the first since the95th Grey Cup 17 years prior—onCTV.[11] This was the first CFL and Grey Cup game broadcast onTSN 4K fromBC Place Stadium.[12] In the United States, the game was broadcast onCBS Sports Network.[11] The Grey Cup was broadcast inPunjabi for the first time on a small collections of radio stations throughout Canada:Sher-E-Punjab Radio AM 600 (CKSP) in British Columbia,My Radio AM 580 (CHAM) in Alberta,RadioAwaz.ca (CKYG-FM) in Manitoba,Radio Humsafar-AM 1350 (CIRF) in Ontario, andRadio Humsafar-AM 1610 (CHRN) in Quebec.[13]
The game featured theWinnipeg Blue Bombers, playing in their fifth consecutive Grey Cup championship and 29th overall appearance, and theToronto Argonauts in their 25th Grey Cup game.[14] The Blue Bombers had 12 championships, while the Argonauts had a league-leading 18 championships.[14] The game was a rematch of the2022 Grey Cup.[15]
The Blue Bombers had an uncharacteristically slow start to the year as they opened their season with four straight losses and had a2–6 record after eight games.[15] By contrast, the Blue Bombers had at least six wins in their first eight games in each of the previous four seasons. ReceiverKenny Lawler was injured in the season opener and sat for out eight games and fellow pass catcherDalton Schoen was injured in the third regular season game and was on the injured list for the rest of the year, which compounded the team's struggles.[15] However, after the disappointing start, the Blue Bombers won their next eight games and finished with an11–7 record and captured a fourth consecutive first-place finish in theWest Division.[16] Unlike previous seasons where the Blue Bombers were guaranteed a first place finish early, the team only clinched first place in the West Division after winning their final game of the regular season, defeating the defending Grey Cup championMontreal Alouettes 28–27 on the strength of a final-playSergio Castillo 51-yard field goal.[17] In the Blue Bombers' sixth consecutive appearance in the West Final, the team had a commanding victory over theSaskatchewan Roughriders by a score of 38–22.[18]Zach Collaros passed for 301 yards and four touchdowns, including three to Lawler, andBrady Oliveira had 20 rush attempts for 119 yards and a touchdown.[18]
At the end of the regular season, Oliveira was named both theCFL's Most Outstanding Player andCFL's Most Outstanding Canadian, winning the latter for the second consecutive season.[19] He was also named to the All-CFL team for the second time, whileStanley Bryant,Willie Jefferson, andTyrell Ford were also All-CFL award winners for the eighth, sixth, and first time, respectively.[20] Collaros passed for over 4,000 yards or the third consecutive season and set a career high for completions and passing yards.[15] Despite injuries to former All-Star receivers Lawler and Schoen,Nic Demski and rookieOntaria Wilson both recorded over 1,000 yards receiving.[15] Bryant made his seventh appearance in a Grey Cup game while Jeffersion and Collaros were playing in their sixth championship games.[15]
.jpg)
The Argonauts began the year without theirMOP quarterback,Chad Kelly, who was serving a nine-game suspension after it was determined that he violated the league's gender-based violence policy following an investigation into a lawsuit filed by the team's former strength and conditioning coach.[21] The previous year's backup quarterback,Cameron Dukes started the first eight games to mixed results, as he posted a 4–4 record as a starter.[15] In the team's ninth game,Nick Arbuckle took over as the starter and led the team to a 39–25 victory over theCalgary Stampeders.[15] With the Argonauts sitting at a5–4 record, Kelly returned as the starter and led the team to five more wins as the Argonauts clinched a second place finish following their week 20 victory over theOttawa Redblacks.[22]
In the team's fourth consecutive playoff appearance and home playoff game hosting, the Argonauts defeated the Redblacks in the East Semi-Final in a dominant 58–38 win.[23] In his first playoff start since his disastrous playoff starting debut in2023, Kelly completed 18 of 20 passes for 358 yards and four touchdowns, for an uncapped passer rating of 218.3, the second highest of any CFL game ever.[22] The Argonauts next played in their fourth straight East Final and third straight against theMontreal Alouettes.[23] The Argonauts forced six turnovers and had an interception return touchdown byBenjie Franklin and a punt return touchdown byJanarion Grant in a 30–28 victory over the Alouettes.[24] However, Kelly left the game with a severe leg injury late in the third quarter and Arbuckle finished the game and sealed the victory.[24] Shortly after the game, Arbuckle was named the team's starter for the Grey Cup.[25]
The Argonauts had two major award winners, withRyan Hunter winning theCFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award andJanarion Grant winning theCFL's Most Outstanding Special Teams Player Award.[19] The team also had four players named to the All-CFL team, including Hunter and Grant as well asDejon Allen andJake Ceresna.[20] The Argonauts entered this game having won seven consecutive Grey Cup appearances, with their last loss coming in1987.[15]
TheWinnipeg Blue Bombers andToronto Argonauts played twice during the regular season with Toronto winning both games.[15] In the first game, in Toronto, the Argonauts won 16–14 in overtime as Winnipeg'sSergio Castillo missed a field goal attempt in extra time while Toronto'sLirim Hajrullahu was successful on a 34-yarder to provide the game-winning points.[15][26]Tarvarus McFadden, who had re-signed with the Argonauts after being cut in training camp, scored the only major for the Argonauts on an interception return touchdown.[26] The second game was also a low-scoring affair with the Argonauts winning 14–11 in Winnipeg, which clinched a playoff spot for the team and also halted the Blue Bombers' eight-game winning streak.[27] The Argos sacked Collaros seven times, led byFolarin Orimolade who had two sacks and a game-sealing interception.[27]
This championship was the eighth meeting between the two teams in the championship game, with the previous seven having been won by Toronto, most recently in2022.[15] The Argonauts won the first meeting in1937 and repeated as champions in1938.[15] Toronto then won three consecutive championships over the Blue Bombers in1945,1946, and1947 before winning the infamous Mud Bowl in1950.[15] All six of these championship games were played atVarsity Stadium, in Toronto.[15]
As the West Division representative in a Grey Cup held in a West Division city, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were the designated home team for the game and have first choice of uniform.[28] The Blue Bombers wore their standard blue jerseys with alternate blue pants while the Argonauts wore white jerseys with white pants and Cambridge blue socks.[29]
.jpg)
TheWinnipeg Blue Bombers won the initial coin toss and chose to receive the ball immediately, but took procedure penalty on their first offensive play and went two-and-out on their first possession.[30] Following aJanarion Grant 23-yard punt return, quarterbackNick Arbuckle led theArgonauts on an 11-play, 51-yard drive down to the Blue Bombers' one-yard line.[31] However, on 3rd-and-one, the Argonauts appeared to intentionally try to draw the Blue Bombersoffside and instead took atime count penalty and settled for aLirim Hajrullahu 13-yard field goal.[30] As the first quarter came to a close, the Bombers replied with a deep pass toOntaria Wilson that set up aTerry Wilson 3-yard rushing touchdown in the final minute of the quarter, putting them up 7–3.[30]
The offences for both teams stalled to begin the second quarter, but Winnipeg soon put together a long drive that began at their own 26-yard line and progressed down to Toronto's 8-yard line.[30] However, after an incompletion, quarterbackZach Collaros was sacked byRobbie Smith, so the Blue Bombers settled for aSergio Castillo 20-yard field goal.[31][30] On the ensuing Argonaut possession, Arbuckle completed a deep pass toDamonte Coxie for 36 yards which eventually led to a 35-yard field goal.[30] Hajrullahu was injured on the play, but was able to walk to the sidelines.[31] On Winnipeg's next possession, Collaros was intercepted byBenjie Franklin, who had his third straight post-season game with an interception, with under two minutes left in the half.[31][30] The Argonauts then marched 44 yards down to the Blue Bombers' 38-yard line where a resilient Hajrullahu connected on a 45-yard field goal attempt.[31][30] Winnipeg led 10–9 going into halftime.[30]
.jpg)
The Argonauts had the first possession of the third quarter, where the Blue Bombers elected to trade score for field position, conceding asingle on a 70-yardJohn Haggerty punt to tie the game at 10–10.[31][30] After a Winnipeg two-and-out, the Argonauts were again moving the ball, but Arbuckle fumbled while being sacked byWillie Jefferson which was recovered by Toronto'sPeter Nicastro.[30] The Argonauts were forced to punt, but punt returnerLucky Whitehead fumbled after contactingFraser Sopik, which was recovered by Toronto'sJack Cassar.[31][30] On the next play, Arbuckle completed a pass to rookieKevin Mital who ran 20 yards for the touchdown, leading to the Argonauts' first lead of the game at 17–10.[31][30] After another Winnipeg two-and-out, Arbuckle attempted a deep pass for Coxie, but was intercepted byTerrell Bonds at the Winnipeg 40-yard line.[31][30] Following a 35-yard run byBrady Oliveira, the Blue Bombers were able to kick a 40-yard field goal to narrow the gap to 17–13.[30] However, Collaros was injured on the incomplete deep pass attempt on the play prior, resulting in a laceration to the top knuckle on his right index finger.[32][33] On the Argonauts' next possession, they moved the ball six yards before having Haggerty's punt blocked byMichael Ayers which was recovered by Winnipeg'sBrandon Alexander.[30] However,Kyrie Wilson was flagged for illegal interference on a loose ball behind the line of scrimmage which resulted in an automatic first down for the Argonauts going into the fourth quarter.[31][30]
Despite the stunning turn of events, Jefferson intercepted a short pass from Arbuckle two plays after the negated blocked punt, giving Winnipeg possession at Toronto's 30-yard line.[31][30] With Collaros getting his finger stitched in the locker room, backup quarterback Wilson entered the game where he went 0/3 in pass attempts leading to a Winnipeg 23-yard field goal from Castillo, with the score 17–16 in favour of Toronto.[30][32] Unshaken by the Blue Bombers gaining ground, the Argonauts march down the field on an eight-play, 70-yard drive that culminated in a 17-yard touchdown pass from Arbuckle toDejon Brissett.[30] Collaros returned to the game with a bandage and a glove on his throwing hand and was immediately intercepted on a deep ball byDaShaun Amos who returned it 45 yards to Winnipeg's 16-yard line.[30][32] Hajrullahu's 14-yard field goal attempt made it a two-possession game at 27–16.[30] On Winnipeg's next possession, after a few plays and 3:23 remaining on the clock, the team gambled on 3rd-and-three, but Collaros was again intercepted, this time byRobert Priester, who returned the ball 61 yards for a touchdown and a 34–16 Argonaut lead.[31][30] After getting the ball back, Collaros was intercepted two plays later byWynton McManis on a tipped pass which was returned 58 yards to Winnipeg's four-yard line.[31][30] Toronto'sKa'Deem Carey scored a four-yard touchdown on the next play, giving the Argoanuts a 41–16 lead with 2:14 left to play.[31][30] With the game mostly decided, Winnipeg managed to march the ball down and score a touchdown and two-point convert, both by Oliveira to bring the score to 41–24 with 47 seconds left to play.[31][30] However, on the ensuing onside kick attempt, Brissett recovered the ball for the Argonauts and Toronto kneeled down in three plays to secure the victory and end the game.[31][30]
Arbuckle finished the game having completed 70.3% of his pass attempts for 252 yards to go with two touchdown passes and two interceptions and was named theGrey Cup Most Valuable Player after nearly ending his career and retiring prior to the 2024 season.[30][34] Brissett led the Argonauts' balanced pass attack in receiving yards with 45 yards and also had a touchdown and kickoff return which earned him theDick Suderman Trophy for being the Most Valuable Canadian Player of the game.[30][35]
First quarter[30]
Second quarter[30]
Third quarter[30]
Fourth quarter[30]
Sources:CFL 111th Grey Cup Boxscore
The following diagrams illustrate the teams'depth charts that were released one day prior to game day. Starters are listed in boxes in their respective positions with backups listed directly above or below. As per CFL rules, 45 players for each team dress in the game.
 24Bonds* 1Nichols* 12Taylor 37Alexander* 21Hallett 31Holm* 30Ford 19Wilson* 49Ayers* 50Weitz° 33Jones* 44Gauthier 9Garbutt* 45Haba* 95Thomas 99Schmekel 90Fox* 92Samson 66Bryant* 64Dobson 65Eli 53Neufeld 61Wallace 55Lofton* 80Wilson* 8Collaros* 3Wilson* 15Dolegala* 86Clercius 89Lawler* 13Whitehead* 20Oliveira 10Demski 36Feltmate 88Wheatfall* 14Castillo* 18Sheahan° 40Benson 13Whitehead* Italics* indicate American player Bold° indicates global player Reference:cfl.ca |
23Franklin* 27Milton* 8Amos* 2McFadden* 34Exumé 35Darkangelo* 32Sopik 48McManis* 45Cassar 19Priester* 97Parish* 94Ceresna* 95Williams* 99Holley* 91Brinkman* 40Smith 90Hansen° 62Hunter 64Giffen 52Nicastro 58Vandal 59Allen* 65Rice 86Coxie* 4Arbuckle* 11Dukes* 5Scott* 83Ungerer 3Grant* 15Polk* 25Carey* 24McMahon* 18Brissett 10Mital 80Daniels* 29Haggerty° 3Grant* Italics* indicate American player Bold° indicates global player Reference:argonauts.ca |
The highest-ratedofficials during the2024 CFL season from their respective positions were selected for the game and announced on November 14, 2024.[1] The numbers below indicate their uniform numbers.
