Philpot seals win for Alouettes, named Most Valuable Canadian at 110th Grey Cup

On a cold night in Hamilton, Tyson Philpot waited till the very last minute to put the Grey Cup on ice.

Montreal’s second-year wide receiver capped one of the most dramatic finishes in CFL history, catching a 19-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Cody Fajardo with 11 seconds left to seal the Alouettes’ 28-24 win over the Blue Bombers in the 110th Grey Cup.

In all, Philpot caught six passes for 63 yards and added 63 more on special teams, earning the award for Most Valuable Canadian. 

“It’s a full circle moment for me,” Philpot said after the game. “I grew up watching Canadians win the Grey Cup. I always knew that I was gonna be here one day, do it on this level. To have the game-winner, man…(it’s) surreal.”

Winning Grey Cups runs in the family. Philpot’s father, Cory, was a champion with the Lions in 1994 – six years before Tyson was born – a season in which he rushed for 1,451 yards and 13 touchdowns. 

Philpot saved his very best for last against Winnipeg, but was instrumental from start-to-finish in the Alouettes’ fourth-quarter comeback . Down 17-14 with less than 13 minutes to go, his 30-yard punt return set Montreal up at the Blue Bombers’ 28-yard-line. Three plays later, teammate Austin Mack was in the end zone.

Trailing 24-21 with under two minutes to go, Philpot and Fajardo took over. A pair of completions to Philpot got Montreal on the move, and Fajardo’s 31-yard prayer to Cole Spieker on 3rd-and-five in the final minute set the stage for the game-winner.

“He’s been a baller all year,” Philpot said of Fajardo, who earned game MVP honours with 290 passing yards and three touchdowns. “I don’t care what the media says. He’s my QB. I’m glad he came to Montreal.

“It was gonna come down to one play. I saw one-on-one coverage. Cody trusted in me. The rest was history.”

“I didn’t really see it cleanly,” Fajardo said of the winning touchdown. “I remember throwing it, and when I heard the touchdown and the crowd roar, I remember looking back at the clock to see how much time was left, because that’s a really good Winnipeg team.

In the end, Fajardo, Philpot and the Alouettes were too much.

“Just one of those things that felt like a movie,” Fajardo said.

“Nobody really expected us to be in the game, and nobody expected us to win the game, except for the one percent in that locker room.”

For Philpot, it was the next step in a career that’s been on the rise since he entered the league as a first round pick last May. After winning the award for the East Division’s top rookie in 2022, he followed with 47 catches and 532 receiving yards in just 13 games this season.

And now he’s etched his name in CFL history.

“We knew we didn’t need anybody else,” he said. “We knew it was gonna start here, and it was gonna finish here.”

The only thing is, Philpot isn’t finished. He’s ready to do it again next season.

“Let’s run it back,” he said. “Let’s do it.”