Dynasty denied: Fajardo, Als defeat Bombers in 110th Grey Cup

The Montreal Alouettes have denied the Winnipeg Blue Bombers their dynasty status, defeating the CFL powerhouse 28-24 in the 110th Grey Cup.

While the Als and quarterback Cody Fajardo were deemed underdogs against a Bombers team that was playing in its fourth straight CFL title game, that only proved to motivate the East Division team.

That was embodied in an impassioned speech Fajardo gave the day before the game.

“I just told them how much it meant to me that they had my back and all the people that doubted us. Apparently, people listened and it fired them up,” Fajardo said.

His teammate, defensive end Almondo Sewell, admitted the quarterback used more colourful language.

” ‘(Expletive) ’em. Watch us.’ That was his message to us,” Sewell said. “He said he was going to put us on his back and we all believed in him.”

When pressed about his use of a curse word — something he rarely if ever did while the starter for the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 2019 through ’22 — Fajardo joked about how he made his head coach Jason Maas proud.

“He was like, ‘I’ve never heard you cuss before, but I’m so proud of you,’ ” Fajardo said. “When I walked off the stage, the amount of applause I got and people were fired up and guys wanted to play that day. It just goes to show that everyone in that room believed in me and that’s all I needed to know I could go and win this football game.”

“I think he’s heard me use that phrase a lot and I think he was sick and tired of being counted out and I think he was sick and tired of this team being counted out,” Maas added. “I think he believed in every one of these individuals in this locker room and I think he believed in this team so much.”

When the lights were the brightest and the pressure reached a boiling point, the 31-year-old quarterback willed his team to the win by leading an 83-yard drive that ended in a touchdown pass to wide receiver Tyson Philpot with just 13 seconds left on the clock at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton.

“It’s a movie. No one expected us to be here — no one expected us to make the playoffs, no one expected us to beat a 16-2 Argo team and no one sure as hell expected us to beat a Winnipeg team we didn’t play well all year,” Fajardo said.

“I played this year for the people that believed in me, not the people that doubted me and the naysayers. I exhausted myself last year trying to make everyone like me. I just believed in my family and myself and my teammates that believed in me. I went out there and wanted to prove to myself that I could still play.”

If 2023 was a movie for Fajardo and the Als, the main theme of it would be redemption and believing in those around you. Fajardo rose to prominence as the Riders’ starter in 2019, taking over for the injured Zach Collaros who eventually was traded to Toronto and then wound up in Winnipeg as the starter.

Despite a CFL West Division crown in 2019 and a second straight West final in 2021, the Riders lost faith in the quarterback after a 2022 campaign that ended with a seven-game losing streak to fall to 6-12. Fajardo was benched for the final two games of the season despite the Riders having a chance at the playoffs.

Fajardo wasn’t brought back after that season and Maas, who was the Riders’ offensive co-ordinator, was fired.

Maas was hired in Montreal as the head coach and that hiring gave Fajardo another chance despite him thinking of retiring in the offseason. They were also joined by former Riders linebacker Darnell Sankey partway through the season after he returned to the CFL after a stint in the XFL, where he won the XFL championship with the Arlington Renegades.

Montreal’s belief in Fajardo never wavered like it did in Saskatchewan and he credits that for his play this season.

“If I didn’t play well, I never felt like (Maas) was going to bench me or they were going to move on. I always felt like I was the guy here and if you play with that free and clear mind, you can go out and do incredible things,” Fajardo said.

Despite not beating the top teams in the CFL during the regular season, the Als earned their first wins when it mattered most come playoffs. On the way to the Grey Cup, the Als defeated the 16-2 Toronto Argonauts in the East final and then the 14-4 Bombers in the championship game. The Grey Cup win was the team’s eighth straight win.

Fajardo threw for 290 yards with three touchdowns and one interception in the Grey Cup. He was named the Grey Cup’s most outstanding player with Philpot taking home most outstanding Canadian.

It was also a chance for Fajardo to exorcise some demons of past playoff losses. In both the 2019 and 2021 CFL West finals, Fajardo had the ball late against the Bombers but came up just short.

But that all changed Sunday, as he was able to be up on the stage to accept the Grey Cup with his son Luca, who was born last season.

“For me to be standing up there on the stage with him and to get photographs, it’s something I will remember my entire life and it’s something I can explain to him when he gets older how monumental of a moment that was,” Fajardo said.

“It’s God’s plan. Sometimes I think you need to go in the lion’s den to prove your faith and prove who you are as a person and I just stayed the course. There are a lot of people in my corner who made a lot of sacrifices for me to play this year, including my wife who I only saw twice in 24 weeks.”

Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros didn’t throw a touchdown in the game, finishing with 236 yards and an interception.

Bombers running back Brady Oliveira, who was named the CFL’s most outstanding Canadian earlier in the week, had 119 yards and a touchdown.

Bombers short-yardage quarterback Dakota Prukop had two rushing scores in the game.

Montreal was down 10-0 early to the Bombers but a 31-yard touchdown rush by Montreal’s William Stanback helped the Als get back into the game.

Despite a 17-7 hole, the Als outscored the Bombers 21-7 in the final half.

Bombers kicker Sergio Castillo was good on his only field-goal attempt in the game.

It was the second straight year the Bombers have come up short in the CFL’s title game, losing 24-23 to the Argonauts at Mosaic Stadium in the 2022 Grey Cup.

It’s the eighth title in Als’ history, their last coming in 2010.

— With files from The Green Zone’s Jamie Nye.