Kickoff: Saturday, September 20th, 2 p.m. CDT; TD Place, Ottawa
TV/Streaming: TSN 1/3; CTV; RDS; CFL+
Radio: 680 CJOB (pre-game begins at noon, CDT); Play-by-play: Derek Taylor/analyst: Doug Brown; Sirius XM (ch. 167)
Scene Setter
Chris Streveler first led the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to victory more than seven years ago in what was an eye-popping, jaw-dropping welcome to the Canadian Football League moment.
Streveler, then just 23 and fresh out of the University of South Dakota, was rushed into service with Matt Nichols on the mend and led the Blue Bombers to a 56-10 mauling of the Montreal Alouettes in Quebec, as he completed 22-of-28 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 98 yards on 10 carries and another score.
It was an instant snapshot at his unique skillset, one that quickly propelled him into stardom and would eventually earn him a look down south in the National Football League.
Here we are all these years later and Streveler will again lead his squad into action in Saturday’s matinee against the Ottawa Redblacks and with the Blue Bombers reeling at 6-7 after a three-game slide.
This weekend will mark Streveler’s 17th start for the Blue Bombers — he’s 7-9 in his career taking the first snap from centre, including 3-1 in his last four — but with Zach Collaros still sidelined and the offence sputtering, the now-veteran pivot is charged with helping bring some life again to the attack.
The ultimate team-first guy, Streveler has long insisted he doesn’t give a rat’s behind what the numbers look like, as long as there is a ‘W’ posted by the final whistle.
Just like any QB in this league, he’s won some ugly games, and served up some dandy performances, too. There’s a path to victory for the Blue Bombers on Saturday with #17 at the controls and to understand what that might look like, we went back for a deeper dive into some of the commonalities that popped out as the keys in his seven previous victories.
As they say in horse racing, past performances are one of the most reliable indictors of future success. To that end, here’s what we found…
TAKE CARE OF THE FOOTBALL
We know what you’re thinking here: thanks for the insight, Sherlock.
Still, if last weekend’s loss in Hamilton served as a reminder of anything, it’s this: the margin of error for the 2025 Blue Bombers is razor thin and this bunch can’t turn the ball over twice in its own end and survive the consequences.
Last week those mistakes cost the club two touchdowns in the first half in a game in which they were very much trading punches. They survived the first interception with a Streveler-to-Keric Wheatfall TD that tied the game at 7-7, but the second — just before halftime — turned a 13-10 deficit into a 20-10 Ticat advantage at the intermission.
Fact: in all seven of Streveler’s career wins as a Blue Bomber the club finished with a positive turnover differential and were +12 overall in those victories.
On top of that, in those seven wins Streveler is a +2 in the touchdown-interception differential and in four of those games he didn’t throw a pick.
EXCEPTIONAL PLAYS HELP
A QB can get by with a little help from his friends, and in the seven victories with Streveler at the control there have been some big-time moments by those around him — and not just on offence.
Fact: in his last win — a 40-31 decision over the Toronto Argonauts back on August 1st of this year — Streveler was intercepted three times, including one Pick-6. But that was the night Trey Vaval returned two kicks for touchdowns and Jay Person scooped up a strip-sack fumble caused by Willie Jefferson and returned it for another score.
There’s more…
In that win in Montreal back in ’18, receiver Darvin Adams connected with Andrew Harris for a 26-yard score on a special play dialled up by then offensive coordinator Paul LaPolice.
In a victory over Edmonton in the summer of 2019 with Streveler at the controls the defence chipped in with a Pick-6 by Blue Bombers defensive back Marcus Rios. A few weeks later Janarion Grant served up a kick return score in a win in the Banjo Bowl. And later that season in a win over the Alouettes the defence finished the night with four interceptions of then-Montreal QB Vernon Adams.
GO WITH WHAT WORKS
Streveler is at his best when his abilities as a dual-threat pivot are prevalent — notwithstanding the season-opening win this year over B.C. when he threw for three touchdowns but rushed only twice for nine yards. That victory really was the exception to the other six he started.
The two victories he started this year have seen him rush just six times total for 34 yards but, as we saw last week in the loss to Hamilton, he’s truly threatening a defence when he’s part of a two-pronged rushing attack when the defence can’t fixate on one ball carrier.
In the five previous wins before this season with Streveler starting he averaged 11.4 rushes for 81.2 yards per game with five touchdowns. His best performances, based on his own history, have featured him busy along the ground while operating a precise passing attack that is more efficient than prolific, but sees him careful with the ball.
To that point, in four of his seven wins he didn’t throw an interception, and he had a positive TD-to-interception ratio in three games.
Strev Says
“I want to be smart with the ball in my hands,” said Streveler earlier this week, “and we all want to take care of the football. That’s going to continue to be a point of emphasis even more so as we move deeper into the season.
“I’ve played a lot of football, and I understand how important it is to take care of the football. Ultimately, I’m the quarterback and when we turn the ball over or an interception happens, I’ve got to take care of the football and I’m going to own that every time.
“It’s on me. It starts with me, and I’ve got to keep doing a better job.”
THE LINEUP: The Blue Bombers depth chart features two changes from last week’s loss in Hamilton. On are DBs Jamal Parker, Jr. and Jake Kelly. Off are Nick Hallett and Michael Griffin II.
The one-game injured list features QB Zach Collaros, Griffin II and Hallett, along with WR Jerreth Sterns, RB/KR Peyton Logan and OL Micah Vanterpool. The six-game injured list includes WR Dalton Schoen, LB Lane Novak, DT Tanner Schmekel, OL Eric Lofton, CB Terrell Bonds, WR Kody Case and DB Enock Makonzo.
