Fajardo throws 3 touchdowns as Alouettes stun Blue Bombers to win 1st Grey Cup title 2023 since 2010.

With the game on the line, Cody Fajardo and Tyson Philpot delivered the Montreal Alouettes a most unlikely Grey Cup title.

Fajardo's 19-yard TD pass to Philpot with 15 seconds remaining rallied Montreal to a thrilling 28-24 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday in Hamilton. It earned the Alouettes their first CFL title since 2010 and followed an uncertain off-season that saw the franchise taken over by the league in February, then sold a month later to businessman Pierre Karl Peladeau.

Fajardo's toss capped a stellar seven-play, 83-yard march. It included a clutch 31-yard completion to Cole Spieker on third-and-five before a Tim Hortons Field sellout of 28,808 as Montreal ended its season with eight straight wins.

Cody Fajardo named Most Valuable Player of the 110th Grey Cup

Winnipeg had a final chance to pull out a comeback win. Zach Collaros completed a pass to punter Jamieson Sheahan, who tried to boot the ball into the endzone but it fell short and was recovered by Montreal.

Philpot, 23, of Delta, B.C., was the top Canadian with six catches for 63 yards. He said there was a quiet confidence in Montreal's huddle on the game-winning drive.

Winnipeg, in the Grey Cup for a fourth straight year, suffered a second consecutive loss after beating Hamilton in 2019 and '21. The Toronto Argonauts edged the Bombers 24-23 last year.

Tyson Philpot named Most Valuable Canadian of the 110th Grey Cup

Fajardo finished 21-of-26 passing for 290 yards with three TDs and an interception to claim MVP honours. He won his first Grey Cup as a starter after earning a ring with Toronto in 2017 as a backup.

Heady stuff, considering little was expected this season from Montreal, which lost quarterback Trevor Harris and receiver Eugene Lewis in free agency. But GM Danny Maciocia hired head coach Jason Maas and signed Fajardo when Saskatchewan moved on from both — Maas was the Roughriders' offensive co-ordinator — after dropping their final seven regular-season games to miss the CFL playoffs.

Maas earned his fourth Grey Cup but first as a head coach. His first two came as a quarterback with Edmonton (2003, '05) before winning in 2012 as Toronto's quarterback coach.

The 28-yard scoring drive was set up by Philpot's 30-yard punt return.

Collaros, the first CFL quarterback to start four straight Grey Cups, finished 19-of-23 passing for 236 yards with an interception.

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