The 2026 Canadian Football League playoffs began on Saturday with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeating the Toronto Argonauts 25-22 in the Eastern Division semifinal and the British Columbia Lions defeating the Saskatchewan Roughriders 33-26 in the Western Division semifinal.
In the Eastern Division semifinal, it was a huge game for Blue Bombers slotback Nic Demski of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Demski had four catches for 72 receiving yards and one touchdown. He had the game-winning touchdown as he caught a 23 yard pass from Dru Brown in the end zone with 44 seconds left in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring.
In the Western Division semifinal, two Canadians had massive games offensively for the Lions. They were Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke of Victoria, British Columbia and Lions wide receiver Jevon Cottoy of Calgary, Alberta. Rourke completed 21 of 32 passes for 366 passing yards and three touchdowns, along with two rushes for 30 rushing yards. Cottoy had eight catches for 131 receiving yards and two touchdown catches.
Both of Rourke’s touchdown catches to Cottoy happened in the third quarter. The first was for 70 yards at 5:28 to tie the game at 20, and the second was for 13 yards with one minute and 46 seconds left which put the Lions up 27-23 at the time. Rourke’s other touchdown pass was 69 yards to the wide open Stanley Berryhill in the second quarter.
The Eastern and Western Finals will now take place Saturday. The Montreal Alouettes will host the Blue Bombers in the Eastern Final and the Edmonton Elks will host the Lions in the Western Final.
