How the last-place Ottawa Redblacks could still be worth a (small) wager to win the Grey Cup

The Ottawa Redblacks are still in the CFL’s East Division cellar, but they also have a legitimate chance at not just making the playoffs but hosting an Eastern Division semifinal.

Some may even consider them as a bet to win the Grey Cup.

FanDuel has the Redblacks with the highest odds to win the championship game at +5000, which means a $20 wager would turn into $1000 should they hoist Earl Grey’s coveted mug.

The sportsbook then lists the Edmonton Elks (+3300), B.C. Lions (+1700) and Toronto Argonauts (+1400) with the next greatest odds.

At bet365 by comparison, the Redblacks and Elks are tied as the two longest shots at +3000, with Ottawa at +1500 to make it to the Grey Cup game.

Two-thirds of the way through the schedule, the latter isn’t as ridiculous a notion as one might think.

If the 7-5 Hamilton Tiger-Cats go on to finish first in the East, that leaves the Montreal Alouettes (5-7), Argos (4-8) and Redblacks (4-8) battling for second place and hosting rights to the divisional semifinal.

The other two teams would be in danger of missing the playoffs altogether through the crossover format should it not have at least as many points as the fourth-place team in the West, where Winnipeg (6-6), B.C. (5-7) and Edmonton (5-7) are also separated by just two points in an attempt to play into November.

Saskatchewan (10-2) and Calgary (8-4) haven’t clinched spots, but that appears to be only a matter of time.

The Redblacks’ fate could all come down to two cold-weather games over five days with the Alouettes, who have dropped five straight games since Aug. 2.

After visiting B.C. on Friday, Ottawa has home games against Winnipeg and Saskatchewan (with a bye week in between), then plays back-to-back games against Montreal on Oct. 13 and Oct. 18 before its season finale in Hamilton.

Four of Montreal’s remaining six games are on the road, which is not necessarily a bad thing for the Als, who are 2-5 at home and 3-2 as visitors.

After facing the CFL-leading Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina this weekend, the Alouettes will play in Toronto, then return home to face Calgary, followed by a bye week, the home-and-away series with the Redblacks, and a season-ending trip to Winnipeg.

The Argos return from a bye week on Saturday to host Edmonton, and they could have No. 1 QB Chad Kelly available if his social media hints of a “comeback” from the broken leg he suffered in last year’s division final hold true.

If Kelly does play against the Elks, that means Toronto will be benching Nick Arbuckle, who leads the league in passing yards and is second in touchdown throws.

After hosting Edmonton and Montreal in the next two weeks, the Argos travel to B.C., then play Hamilton at home before finishing their regular season with road games in Saskatchewan and Calgary.

The Argos have the toughest schedule remaining.

The six opponents they are set to face have a combined record of 40-32, while the Roughriders and Stampeders are a combined 10-3 at home.

The records of the five opponents Ottawa and Montreal have left are a combined 33-27.

“It just shows the importance of every game at this time of the year,” Redblacks head coach Bob Dyce said of the logjam at the bottom of both the East and West standings. “The CFL is unique with the crossover and everything like that, and every opportunity you get, you’ve got to seize it. You’ve got to be focused, and you’ve got to play your best football from now through straight through to the Grey Cup.”

Yes, despite a season that’s been largely disappointing, the Redblacks are still thinking Grey Cup.

It’s the CFL, where anything can happen and usually does.

And with six games left, every team still has a shot at the 2025 title.

WHAT’S THE LATEST ON DRU BROWN?

The Redblacks’ No. 1 quarterback was on the practice field Monday, and while he did throw a few passes, he wasn’t overextending his injured knee.

Dustin Crum continued to lead the first team and, at this point, has to be considered the starter for Friday’s game against the Lions.

“We want to make sure (Brown) gets to 100 percent and he has all of his attributes that he’s able to attack a team with,” said Dyce. “So we’ll continue to work in that direction, and we’ll see how fast he gets up to 100.”

Asked if there’s a chance Brown could be ready for the Lions game, Dyce replied: “There’s always a chance.”

Crum, who led the Redblacks to a dramatic come-from-behind victory against B.C. on Friday, has failed to cure the offence’s early game woes, but he has put up some impressive numbers.

In starting the last two games, he has completed 77 percent of his passes for 578 yards and a pair of touchdowns without an interception.

Crum has also had 18 carries for 128 yards and three TDs.

HOW IS THE REST OF THE OTTAWA ROSTER SHAPING UP FOR B.C.?

The Redblacks made it through Friday’s game in better shape than most this season.

Dyce said that the team will monitor the progress of defensive back Robert Priester and rookie defensive lineman Muftah Ageli, who had the team’s lone sack against the Lions, and also noted that defensive lineman Daniel Okpoko was able to participate in a limited role at practice.

Okpoko, who was taken off the field in an ambulance late in the Aug. 22 loss to Edmonton, is also dealing with a shoulder injury.

In dealing with the challenges of the time difference East Division teams have when playing on the west coast, the Redblacks will fly to Vancouver on Wednesday evening for the 10 p.m. (EDT) start Friday.

HOW DID DEFENSIVE BACK MARK MILTON DO IN HIS DEBUT WITH THE REDBLACKS?

Acquired from the Argos for a seventh-round pick in a trade two weeks ago, the 25-year-old American intercepted a Nathan Rourke pass at the Ottawa 21-yard line on the last play of the game Friday. He was also tied with Lorenzo Mauldin for the team lead in defensive tackles, with five.

“I thought for the most part, for a guy adapting to a new team coming in, I thought he did a good job,” said Dyce. “He maybe had one MA (missed assignment) that we got to communicate a little bit better on. But I thought he showed some of his physical attributes and his speed and his ability to get to the ball, so I think it’s going to be a continued growth. As I told him in the meeting today, whether it’s a new guy on the first roster or anybody else, everybody’s got to be on point at this time of year. And that’s our responsibility.”

AFTER ENDING FRIDAY’S GAME, HOW WILL MILTON END THIS COLUMN?

The pick was the first in the CFL for Milton, who is from Houston and played for five years at Baylor before heading to the CFL, where he suited up for 10 games with the Tiger-Cats in 2024 and one with the Argos earlier this season.

“Oh man, it was amazing,” he said of the interception. “The funny part is, my dad, he he comes to a lot of things, but he has missed my first everything. He missed my first dunk, he missed my first home run, he missed my first college pick. So before the game, I told him, ‘Hey, don’t watch this game, my wife will give you a play-by-play. Don’t watch this game.’ So when I ended up getting the interception, he hits my phone and he’s like, Your wife just told me, like, Oh my gosh.’ And I’m like, ‘Hey, man, you might not be able to watch any of these games anymore.”

As for being part of the thrilling victory, Milton said: “I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it. It was crazy. The emotions is a roller coaster, but I try to stay level-headed throughout it, because in the game of football, as long as there’s time on the clock, anybody could win. Sure, so it’s like just making sure that when it’s time to do what you need to do, when your number’s called, you execute.”