This article is part of our CFL Picks series.
The CFL postseason kicks off with a two-game Saturday slate featuring the East and West Semi-Finals. The teams on bye this week, the Alouettes and Blue Bombers, are unsurprisingly the top two favorites to win the Grey Cup coming into the playoffs.
However, the four squads in action in this upcoming first round -- the Redblacks, Argonauts, Lions and Roughriders -- all have quarterbacks capable of prolific performances and explosive skill-position players. Toronto is also just two years removed from a Grey Cup title in its own right and boasted the league's best run defence during the regular season.
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Ottawa Redblacks at 
Toronto Argonauts
Saturday, 3:00 p.m ET
The Redblacks may be considered the weak link of the playoff field in some circles after finishing with a 9-8-1 record, -45 point differential and a 2-7 road record. However, quarterback Dru Brown closed out the season in memorable fashion, throwing for 845 yards and generating a 7:2 TD:INT against the Argonauts and Tiger-Cats.
Ottawa took a 38-31 loss to Toronto in the former game, however, and the Redblacks' defence remains a serious concern as the postseason begins. The Redblacks allowed 331 yards and three touchdowns to the Argos' Chad Kelly in that game before surrendering 425 to Hamilton's Bo Levi Mitchell in the Week 21 finale.
The matchup simply doesn't bode well for a struggling unit, as the Argonauts finished with a league-high 514 points, scored 46 touchdowns and ran a league-high 57.5 plays per game. Toronto took a 41-27 road loss to Ottawa back in Week 14, but even in defeat, Kelly lit up the Redblacks for 463 yards and three touchdowns while facilitating three tallies of more than 90 receiving yards for his pass catchers.
The Argos have the firepower to advance and the ability to make the Redblacks largely one-dimensional after surrendering the fewest rush yards per game and lowest yards per carry. Therefore, while another high-scoring affair between these two capable offences wouldn't surprise, I see the host Argos coming out with a victory.
B.C. Lions at 
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Saturday, 6:30 p.m ET
The Lions and Roughriders are two similar teams that are particularly adept at stopping the run and can pile up points as well with a bevy of impressive offensive weapons. Both teams allowed under 100 rushing yards per game and less than 5.0 yards per carry. However, they were also both susceptible to the pass, in part because they finished in the top half of the league in pass attempts faced.
That leaves a clear path to this game featuring some standout passing production from capable signal-callers Vernon Adams Jr. and Trevor Harris. Adams took over for Nathan Rourke in the Lions' season finale and threw for 385 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions while adding 39 rushing yards and another score in a 27-3 win over the Alouettes. Adams figures to remain in the starting role given that performance, and in a Week 6 win over the Riders at BC Place, he threw for 451 yards and a touchdown. Adams should have a full arsenal of pass catchers to work with as well, and perhaps veterans Keon Hatcher and Alexander Hollins will be ready to step their games up a notch alongside Justin McInnis, who's already put together several prolific performances with Adams as his quarterback over the first few weeks of the season.
Harris enjoyed a resurgent season in his own right, throwing for 3,264 yards across 12 games. The veteran closed out the campaign by throwing for between 271 and 358 yards in five of the last six games. Like Adams, Harris will have his own deep array of targets to work with, including versatile running back A.J. Ouellette, who returned from a hip injury to finish the regular season in impressive fashion.
These two teams are very closely matched, making spread and moneyline bets particularly challenging. Therefore, the most prudent path to take may be on the total, considering the probability of a high-scoring game.
Grey Cup Winner
Winnipeg Blue Bombers: The Blue Bombers not only have the luxury of a first-week postseason bye, but they also have a rich amount of playoff experience on their roster at key spots and the coaching staff. Moreover, after four consecutive trips to the CFL title game, no squad in the six-team postseason field has anywhere near the amount of seasoning in high-stakes conditions than Winnipeg.
The Bombers also head into the postseason with a flourish, having won nine of their last 10 games in the regular season after a dreadful start. Zach Collaros has once again demonstrated he's a steady leader that can execute a balanced or pass-heavy game plan with equal aplomb, generating 432- and 331-yard tallies within the last four games, with the former also a six-touchdown performance.
Winnipeg was 6-3 straight up at home during the season and will face either B.C. or Saskatchewan in the West Final. The Bombers handed the Lions losses of 25-0 and 20-11, and they toppled the Roughriders by 35-33 and 26-21 scores. Winnipeg did drop a game to each of those teams, but the losses came before the Bombers hit their stride.
The fact Mike O'Shea's squad also arguably fields the league's best defence gives the Bombers even more of an advantage. Winnipeg allowed a league-low 19.9 points per game, along with a league-low 325.9 yards per game of net offence. The Bombers also had the league's stingiest pass defence (CFL-low 232.7 PYPG and 59.8 percent completion rate allowed) and split the season series with the Alouettes, the team they could very well face in a Grey Cup rematch.
