5 key matchups to watch in the 113th Grey Cup

Sunday’s 113th Grey Cup in Calgary pits the league’s two best teams from start to finish this season against one another. The Montreal Alouettes and Edmonton Elks were the CFL’s top teams wire-to-wire, which makes this matchup too close to call.

With the smallest of margins set to decide this showdown, here are five matchups to watch for on Sunday at McMahon Stadium.

MONTREAL’S PASSING GRADE

With 2026 George Reed Most Outstanding Player Davis Alexander at the helm, Montreal boasted the league’s most efficient and explosive passing offence during the regular season. The Als finished first overall with a 72.9 per cent completion rate, a 120.2 efficiency rating and 39 passing touchdowns.

As such, it comes as no surprise Montreal also employed the league’s top two receivers. Tyson Philpot and Tyler Snead co-led the CFL with 13 touchdown catches apiece and finished one-two in receiving yards with 1,809 and 1,474, respectively.

But if anyone can slow down this passing attack, it’s Edmonton. The Elks finished second during the regular season, allowing 272.7 passing yards per game while surrendering just 26 passing touchdowns. Furthermore, Edmonton’s 27 interceptions topped the league, with defensive backs Tyrell Ford (seven) and JJ Ross (five) leading the way.

MEETING MONTREAL’S OFFENSIVE LINE

Featuring Nick Callender and Pier-Olivier Lestage, both finalists for Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman, the Alouettes are elite at the point of attack. Montreal’s offensive line led the CFL by allowing just 19 sacks during the regular season while also excelling in the run game.

The Elks, however, finished third in the league with 40 sacks during the regular season and they’ll make life difficult at the line of scrimmage all game long. With Malik Carney and Noah Taylor bookending the defensive line, Edmonton has the ability to truly challenge the Alouettes and their protection.

THE KICKING BATTLE

We couldn’t get a better kicking matchup to close out the 2026 season.

Edmonton’s Vincent Blanchard was the league’s most accurate and prolific kicker during the regular season. Blanchard led the league with 55 successful field goals, a 93.2 per cent accuracy rate and 211 points scored. Blanchard then hit all five of his field goal tries in last weekend’s Western Final presented by Wegovy® win over BC.

Right there with Blanchard, however, was Montreal’s José Maltos Díaz. One of the most accurate kickers in CFL history, Maltos Díaz returned to action in the Eastern Final presented by Wegovy® and made all four of his field goal attempts. During the regular season, Maltos Díaz finished second to Blanchard in accuracy at 93.0 per cent.

SLOWING DOWN EDMONTON’S RUN GAME

No one ran the ball better than the Elks during the regular season. Led by running backs Justin Rankin and newcomer ShunDerrick Powell, Edmonton averaged a league-best 127.6 rushing yards per game. A big part of that was also Cody Fajardo, who led all quarterbacks with 517 rushing yards and added 84 more in the Western Final.

But the Als are no slouch on the other side of the ball. Montreal finished fourth overall and led the East Division by allowing just 90.9 rushing yards per game. With the likes of Tyrice Beverette and Geoffrey Cantin-Arku in the fold, the Alouettes are well prepared to face a vaunted ground game on Sunday.

COACHING MATTERS

This is a fun coaching battle and a neat accomplishment for Mark Kilam. Hired as a first-time head coach in November 2024, Kilam has guided the Elks to the Grey Cup in just his second season. Kilam made significant inroads during his first year, and it set the foundation for 2026, with the results doing all of the talking.

On the other sideline is a man quite used to the Grey Cup stage. Jason Maas is appearing in his third championship game in four years as Montreal’s head coach, with a ring from 2023 already to show for it. Also a three-time champion as a player, Maas has the big-game experience edge over Kilam.