The 2018 Grey Cup saw the Calgary Stampeders take on the Ottawa Redblacks in a repeat of the 2016 final, but this time it was the Stampeders who prevailed 27-16.
The Grey Cup Final was the climax of the popular Grey Cup Festival, this year held in Edmonton, Alberta, and after four days of festivities, the Commonwealth Stadium was packed as the two best teams in Canadian football went head to head for the top prize in the sport.
Having been beaten in the 2016 and 2017 Grey Cup finals, Calgary were aiming to make it third time lucky. Many experts tipped them to have a strong 2018 and according to the implied probabilities on the bigbetbookmakers.com site, they were the clear favourites for Grey Cup glory.
Those predictions proved well founded as the Stampeders turned out to be the outstanding team of the CFL regular season. They made a superb start to their campaign, winning the first seven games, and although they couldn’t maintain that form in the second of the season, they clinched the West Division, finishing one game ahead of Saskatchewan, with a 13-5 record, before defeating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Division Final to reach the Grey Cup.
Ottawa had a bumpier ride to the Championship game, and after thirteen weeks of the season, had a disappointing 6-5 record. But five wins in their last seven matches was enough to take them to the top of the East Division, and they crushed Hamilton Tiger Cats 46-27 in the Division game.
Calgary had won both of their meetings with Ottawa during the regular season, but their most important encounter remained in the balance for most of the first quarter until Don Jackson ran in a 21-yard touchdown with a little under five minutes remaining. In slippery conditions, that proved to be a crucial score, and gave the Stampeders the edge.
The Redblacks hit back with a field goal midway through the second quarter, and then in the last eight minutes of the quarter, there was a dramatic burst of scoring. First Calgary quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell linked up with Lemar Durant for another touchdown, converted by Rene Paredes. Six minutes later, Ottawa were back in the game when Julian Feoli-Gudino caught a 25-yard pass from Trevor Harris and ran it in 30 yards for a score. Ottawa then opted for a two-point conversion, closing the gap to 14-11. Yet within two minutes, Calgary had extended their lead again, when punt returner Terry Williams ran in for a 97-yard touchdown, breaking the previous Grey Cup record, set in 1995.
That proved to be the last touchdown of the game, and although both teams exchanged field goals in the second half, and Ottawa closed the gap through a safety, Calgary held on comfortably to record a nine-point win and claim the Grey Cup trophy, with Stampeder quarterback Mitchell earning a deserved MVP award for his pivotal role.
