{"id":243945,"date":"2025-10-27T18:07:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T18:07:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/243945\/"},"modified":"2025-10-27T18:07:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T18:07:11","slug":"6-stats-that-may-loom-large-in-the-division-semi-finals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/243945\/","title":{"rendered":"6 stats that may loom large in the Division Semi-Finals"},"content":{"rendered":"

TORONTO \u2014 The 2025 Grey Cup Playoffs are here, with four teams putting everything on the line this weekend.<\/p>\n

The Montreal Alouettes, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Calgary Stampeders and BC Lions take the field on Saturday and there is no shortage of storylines as the Division Semi-Finals get underway.<\/p>\n

As always, numbers tell part of the story. These six stats could loom large when the action kicks off.<\/p>\n

\"20232025 GREY CUP PLAYOFFS
\u00bb Where to watch the CFL Division Semi-Finals<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0Division Semi-Final Saturday heads to Montreal and BC<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0More Grey Cup Playoffs insights and analysis<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0Subscribe to the CFL\u2019s newsletter for exclusive offers and league updates<\/a><\/p>\n

WINNIPEG AT MONTREAL<\/p>\n

Saturday, November 1 | 2:00 p.m. ET | TSN1\/TSN4\/TSN5\/CTV\/RDS\/CFL+<\/p>\n

11-0 \u2013 DAVIS ALEXANDER\u2019S STREAK AS A STARTER<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

All he does is win. Davis Alexander<\/a> has yet to lose a game as a starter, entering the Eastern Semi-Final with a perfect 11-0 record.<\/p>\n

The Alouettes have found stability and swagger under Alexander, whose poise and accuracy have defined Montreal\u2019s second-half surge. If he keeps that streak alive against a battle-tested Blue Bombers team, the legend of Alexander will only continue to grow.<\/p>\n

Alexander has thrown for 2,024 yards and 10 touchdowns in only eight appearances for the Alouettes in 2025, playing with a mix of aggressiveness and efficiency that perfectly complements an elite defence in Montreal.<\/p>\n

546 \u2013 RECEIVING YARDS BY BRADY OLIVEIRA<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brady Oliveira<\/a> has always been a workhorse on the ground, but it\u2019s his work through the air that adds a new layer of danger to Winnipeg\u2019s offence.<\/p>\n

His 546 receiving yards are a career high, giving the Bombers a reliable safety valve and a mismatch against linebackers and safeties alike. Against Montreal\u2019s aggressive front, Oliveira\u2019s ability to turn short passes into big gains could be a deciding factor.<\/p>\n

8 \u2013 FORCED TURNOVERS BY TYRICE BEVERETTE<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Four interceptions. Four forced fumbles. Tyrice Beverette\u2019s eight takeaways embody the Alouettes\u2019 opportunistic defence.<\/p>\n

His knack for being around the ball has flipped games all season, and against a veteran quarterback like Zach Collaros<\/a>, Beverette\u2019s instincts could once again tilt the field in Montreal\u2019s favour.<\/p>\n

CALGARY AT BC<\/p>\n

Saturday, November 1 | 5:30 p.m. ET | TSN1\/TSN3\/TSN4\/TSN5\/RDS\/CFL+<\/p>\n

1,409 \u2013 RUSHING YARDS BY DEDRICK MILLS<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dedrick Mills<\/a> powered his way to a league-leading 1,409 rushing yards, setting the tone for Calgary\u2019s offence every week.<\/p>\n

His ability to grind out tough yards and keep drives alive has made the Stampeders one of the most balanced teams in the league. Against a BC defence that thrives on rushing the passer, Mills\u2019 physicality could slow down BC\u2019s ability to pin down their ears and rush Vernon Adams Jr.<\/p>\n

564 \u2013 RUSHING YARDS BY NATHAN ROURKE<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nathan Rourke<\/a> isn\u2019t just among the CFL\u2019s most prolific passer this season, he\u2019s also one of its most dangerous runners.<\/p>\n

His 564 rushing yards complement his 5,290 yards through the air, making him a dual-threat nightmare for any defence. Calgary will need to contain both his legs and his arm, a challenge few teams have managed to solve all year. All the Canadian pivot needs is a little bit of green grass in front of him to turn any play into a 70-yard touchdown.<\/p>\n

9.9 \u2013 YARDS PER ATTEMPT BY VERNON ADAMS JR.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no place like home. Vernon Adams Jr. returns to Save-On-Foods Field at BC Place, where he once galvanized Lions fans, now wearing Red and White.<\/p>\n

His career-high 9.9 yards per attempt are proof that Adams Jr. is as efficient as ever while retaining his confidence in pushing the ball downfield. A big night from Adams Jr. in his return could make for one of the season\u2019s most compelling storylines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TORONTO \u2014 The 2025 Grey Cup Playoffs are here, with four teams putting everything on the line this…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":243946,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-243945","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cfl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-canadian-football-league","11":"tag-canadianfootballleague","12":"tag-cfl","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243945"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243945\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/243946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}