Alouettes Prove 'Haters' Wrong, Upset Blue Bombers to Win Grey Cup
It was all smiles and pure satisfaction from the Montreal Alouettes side after winning their first Grey Cup since 2010. The Alouettes got an upset victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 110th Grey Cup 28-24 after being 7.5-point underdogs.
Montreal quarterback Cody Fajardo had one of his best games of the season completing 81 percent of his passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns. Fajardo won his second Grey Cup, but it is his first as a starting quarterback in the league. He also earned the Grey Cup MVP award for his performance.
After a rough experience last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders that resulted in him not returning to the team, Fajardo wanted to make it a point to appreciate those who supported him.
“It's an emotional roller coaster, but like I told you guys leading up to this week, I think that one of the biggest things I did this year that I'm very thankful for is going out and playing for the people that believed in me as opposed to the naysayers and the haters," he said. "So, it's not like I'm up here bragging about it or telling you I did it. It's thank you to all the people that believed in me”
Fajardo threw the game-winning touchdown to Tyson Philpot with 13 seconds left to win the Grey Cup. Philpot finished with six catches for 63 yards and a touchdown. He spoke about the motivation of people doubting them at the beginning of the season.
“We enjoyed the people writing us off and not believing in us," said Philpot, the Dick Suderman Award winner. "That was kind of added motivation for us even though we didn't need it. But yeah, we grew because of that and just fueled the fire even more.”
Even for first-year head coach Jason Maas, the feeling of winning a Grey Cup as a reality is so much sweeter than discussing winning it when he first took the job.
"Beyond my imagination of what this would feel like, to be quite honest with you," Maas said, "since being hired and having a vision with [general manager Danny Maciocia] of what this team would look like and how hard they would work and what we would give to finally realize a dream that we've talked about quite candidly within our group."
Montreal QB Named Grey Cup MVP
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Anthony Miller has been covering professional spring football since 2019 including XFL, USFL, and CFL. He was a local news reporter in Texas before transitioning to sports. Other sites he writes for includes College Football Network and NTZ Network.