Kickoff: Friday, August 23rd, 7:30 p.m. CDT; Princess Auto Stadium
TV/Streaming: TSN 1/3/4, RDS, CBS Sports Network, CFL+
Radio: 680 CJOB
Streaks: Wpg: 2W; Ham: 3L
Road/Home: The Blue Bombers are 3-2 at home after winning their last three at Princess Auto Stadium; the Ticats are 1-4 on the road.
Game theme: ‘90s night – wear your best 90s gear/halftime performance by Fred Penner.
Weather: Sunny with a high of 26C; Clear overnight with a low of 16C.
Scene Setter
There’s a glorious opportunity here and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers most certainly can see it, even as they have been trained to robotically fixate on what’s directly in front of them and absolutely nothing else.
The Canadian Football League’s West Division top spot is right there to be snatched, truly, by any of the five teams who comprise the neighbourhood.
“It’s the wild, wild West. It’s wide open,” said running back Brady Oliveira. “It’s going to be interesting to see how this thing plays out.
“We’ve got a lot of football ahead of us and everyone does, too, in this league.”
Buoyed by two straight wins over the B.C. Lions, the Blue Bombers have moved into third spot with their 4-6 record — just two points behind the Leos, now 5-5, and the first-place Saskatchewan Roughriders at 5-4-1.
In fact, in just going .500 over their last four games at 2-2 the Blue Bombers have still seen the division leaders tumble back to them — the Riders have a tie and three losses in their last four, the Lions are on a four-game skid, the Calgary Stampeders, also 4-6, are 1-3 over that span while the Edmonton Elks have won three straight to get back in the discussion at 3-7.
So, somewhat incredibly, the Blue Bombers have managed to survive their disastrous 0-4 start and a swack of injuries, while also earning the tiebreaker over both the Lions and Stamps after winning both season series.
And now it’s time to keep the foot down with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in town, because there really is no room for error.
“I’ve been in both situations over the years,” said receiver Kenny Lawler. “We started off slow this year and we’re starting to pick it up. I remember when I was in Edmonton we started off slow and we kept going slow — we didn’t put our foot down.
“Right now for us it’s like we said, ‘Enough is enough. We’re not going to take this any more.’
“I like that our rookies are maturing and getting experience. I like that we’re figuring ways to win football games. And I really like that each week we’re improving. That’s why I think we can win a lot more games.”
The Blue Bombers have this crucial matchup with the Ticats to keep rolling, followed by back-to-backs with both the Riders and Elks. And true to form, the modest two-game winning streak hardly has anyone in the locker room boasting.
“We’ve done enough to keep us in a good spot,” said centre Chris Kolankowski. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do, but it’s not like it’s an insurmountable challenge. We can accomplish it, we just have to finish strong and play like we have for the last handful of games.
“There’s a lot of confidence in this room. Even when we were 0-4, we had confidence. We just had to pay more attention to the details and now that we’ve ironed out a lot of issues, it feels like we’re playing the way we should be playing.
“That start is something I, myself, use as a reminder to stick to the process and pay attention to the details. I’m letting it motivate me because it’s never easy in this league. It’s a tough league. Any team can win a game, and you can’t forget that.
“We’re not going to rest on the laurels of the week before,” he added. “It’s about how we can keep this thing going.”
THE DEPTH CHART
The Blue Bombers have made three changes to the depth chart this week. On are Canadian FB Bailey Feltmate, American DT Devin Adams and Global LB Fabian Weitz. Off are LB Adam Bighill, DT Tanner Schmekel and DB Souleymane Karamoko.
Bighill, hurt in the win over B.C. last Sunday, has been moved to the six-game injured list where he joins 10 other players: FB Michael Chris-Ike, LB Brian Cole, DT Miles Fox, DT Cameron Lawson, OL Patrick Neufeld, LB Lucky Ogbevoen, DB Jamal Parker, WR Dalton Schoen, LB Kyrie Wilson and WR Drew Wolitarsky.
Weitz, FYI, will be making his CFL debut. He was the club’s first pick, eighth overall, in this year’s Global Draft. A product of Cologne, Germany, he played his college ball at the University of Buffalo.
3 THINGS TO WATCH
1. THE EVER-EVOLVING ‘D’
The latest data on the Blue Bombers defence is impressive, with the club ranking second in offensive points allowed per game (19.1, to Montreal’s 18.9) while allowing a league-low 15 offensive touchdowns.
Those are gaudy-enough numbers, but consider that over the last three games Winnipeg’s ‘D’ has allowed only one TD — and with that coming with just two seconds remaining in Sunday’s win over B.C. The Blue Bombers have allowed just two TDs in the last four games and an average of 11.5 points per game — their best defensive mark since the halcyon days of 2021 and the ‘Dark Side’ defence.
And in something that perhaps says everything about this unit, they were still steamed this week about giving up that late score in Vancouver.
“In the last couple of games, we got back more to doing what we want to do,” said Blue Bombers dime back Redha Kramdi. “There’s still a lot of corrections to be made. We’ve got a lot more to give and eventually we’ll get there. The coaches constantly help remind us that there’s a lot more to do.
“Honestly, when B.C. scored that touchdown near the end of the game we were pretty angry with ourselves. That shouldn’t happen. We got complacent. After the game, Deatrick and I were sitting on the bench and B.A. (Brandon Alexander) had to come by and say, ‘Get up. We won.’ It was a good reminder, but that touchdown shouldn’t have happened.”
2. GRIND AND GRIND, ‘O’
The Blue Bombers have found some traction on offence after spinning their wheels for much of the first chunk of the season. Still… the team ranks last in offensive points per game (19.8), last in offensive touchdowns (15), fourth in net offence (355.2 yards), second in rushing yards per game (108.1) and eighth in passing (260.3).
And with the defence having become such a dominant force, this unit — one considered to be a strength when the season started and before the injuries to Lawler and Dalton Schoen — must continue to find another gear if there is to be some glory for this team in late summer and into the fall.
“We want more, man,” said Oliveira. “Our main focus each week is, ‘Whatever it takes’ and ‘How are we going to go 1-0 this week and get the job done and get the win?’ And, of course, when we get into the score zone finishing with six.
“We’re starting to improve in that aspect… we’re getting down there and getting six and not settling with three. But I still think with the amount of talent and skill power we have in this offensive group that when we get into the score zone there’s no doubt in my mind that we can’t score every single time we’re down there.”
3. ZACH vs. BO
The CFL has seen the starting QB carousel spin a ton through the first 11 weeks of the season with injuries and inconsistent play leading to pivotal changes all across the map.
Both Winnipeg and Hamilton have seen that, too, with Zach Collaros taking a knee for one week and replaced by Chris Streveler for a win over Ottawa last month and Bo Levi Mitchell being benched for Taylor Powell last week, before being rushed into action after his young replacement took a head shot.
Yet even now — with Collaros 35 years old and Mitchell 34 — there is still a marquee matchup feel with these two veteran QBs. Collaros has thrown for 1,510 yards over the last five games, a tidy average of 302 per outing, and his fingerprints are all over the Blue Bombers recent surge.
Mitchell, meanwhile, leads the CFL with 19 passing TDs and in passing yardage at 2,816. He also tops the circuit with 12 interceptions, and that was part of why head coach Scott Milanovich had opted to sit him before the Powell injury.
Both are two of the most successful QBs in the last decade, with Mitchell a two-time CFL All-Star (2016, 2018), a two-time Grey Cup MVP (2014, 2018) and twice the league’s Most Outstanding Player (2016, 2018). Collaros has a similar resumé, also as a two-time MOP (2021, 2022), CFL All-Star (2021, 2022) and Grey Cup MVP (2021).
So, simply put, let’s settle in and enjoy watching two respected QBs go to work.
The Last Word:
“I see a team that is starting to get hot right now. This is a team that is figuring things out. And that can be dangerous.” — Blue Bombers receiver Kenny Lawler.