Photo courtesy: Andrew Mahon/CFL.ca

It isn’t the fact that the Ottawa Redblacks saw their two-game win streak come to a halt in Winnipeg that will bother R-Nation, but more the how.

For a second week in a row, the team started slow and dug itself a huge deficit. For the third time this season, Ottawa had their starting quarterback exit the game with a worrying injury. And for the umpteenth time, questionable coaching decisions and poor execution came back to haunt the team in a big way.

Here are all my thoughts on the (entertaining) 30-27 loss.

1) A week after throwing a career-high five touchdown passes against the Argos, quarterback Dru Brown had a much more subdued game against the Bombers.

In Toronto, Brown looked comfortable and in rhythm. That was never the case against Winnipeg. Even though he was technically never sacked, the Bombers’ ability to collapse the pocket clearly impacted Brown and led to a handful of throwaways. Furthermore, on multiple occasions, it simply seemed like the 28-year-old wasn’t on the same page as his receivers, throwing darts to open fields of grass.

Before exiting with what looked like a left knee injury — more on that in a minute — Brown completed just 57 percent of his passes for 166 yards and an interception that came on a throw that was destined for disaster the moment it left his hand.

Evan Holm tracks the ball and comes up with a phenomenal interception!#CFLGameDay
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— CFL (@CFL) August 15, 2025

On what turned out to be his final play of the game, Brown did his best Patrick Mahomes/Tre Ford impression as he weaved around unblocked defenders before scrambling to buy more time, then shovelling the ball to a receiver for a short gain. Although he initially bounced up, after a few steps, Ottawa’s starting quarterback was again on the ground.

It marks the third time this year that Brown has been unable to finish a game, the others being a late hip injury in Week 1 and a head injury in Week 7. It’s not as if Brown is injury-prone, but it’s undeniable he’s had some terrible luck so far in 2025.

If he’s forced to miss any amount of time, look for practice squad quarterback Tyrie Adams to be promoted to the active roster.

2) Third-year pro Dustin Crum actually did a decent job when he entered the game to play quarterback. He was decisive with his reads, made safe decisions, and if nobody was open after completing his reads, he did what he does best, and took off for a rumble. When it was all said and done, Crum completed 65 percent of his passes for 125 yards and a touchdown, while also running six times for 21 yards.

Dustin Crum fakes the throw and runs it into the end zone!#CFLGameDay
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The problem is, for all the good Crum did in the passing game, it was his earlier entrance into the game that proved to be the margin of defeat. On Ottawa’s opening possessions, the Redblacks marched all the way down to Winnipeg’s one-yard line and were faced with first-and-goal. But on first down, Crum fumbled the snap. He recovered it for a loss. On second down, Ottawa ran the ball and got it back to the one-yard line. On third-and-one from the one, Crum was smothered, leading to a turnover on downs.

WINNIPEG STOPS THE REDBLACKS THREE TIMES ON THE GOAL LINE 😳#CFL pic.twitter.com/G96NtqSJCP

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) August 15, 2025

Unfortunately, that’s become somewhat of a theme. I’m not trying to say Crum is incapable of running QB sneaks — in fact, he was successful on multiple occasions later in the game– but it’s undeniable that he doesn’t make it as routine as it should be. It might be because he’s too upright, it might be because he takes too long to decide which gap to plunge through, or it might be because his blockers routinely fail him. Whatever the reason, it’s something Ottawa needs to clean up, ASAP.

3) Last week, I sang offensive coordinator Tommy Condell’s praises for a very well-called game. While he did a number of things right against Winnipeg, the fact of the matter is that a big chunk of responsibility for this loss can be laid directly at his feet.

Yes, the Redblacks had some excellent, long, scoring drives that resulted in touchdowns. But yet again, the offence took too long to get rolling. Through 10 games, the Redblacks have only scored 21 first-quarter points, and only one — yes, you read that right — in their last four games. When your offence is constantly starting so slowly, you spend the rest of the game chasing and never dictate the flow or pace of the game. Obviously, that takes a toll, both physically and psychologically.

Ottawa did eventually start stringing together first downs and finished with 23, amounting to 384 yards of offence. The Redblacks converted on 39 percent of their second down opportunities and went two of three in the red zone. But what those stats obscure is that for most of the game, Ottawa’s offence was boom or bust. Of their 14 possessions, six were two-and-outs, nine gained less than 18 yards, while four gained at 54+.

When it comes to the short yardage/red zone woes, it might be worth recalling the Pablo Picasso quote on how “Good artists steal, great artists copy”. In Hamilton, the Ticats use fullback Ante Milanovic-Litre extremely effectively as their short-yardage quarterback for sneaks. Why couldn’t Ottawa do the same with someone like Marco Dubois? He’s certainly got the strength.

One thing that was nice to see was that the Redblacks made a conscious effort to try to stretch the field and hit explosive plays. It didn’t work, but it helped keep the defence honest. But what fans will take away from this offensive performance isn’t any of the above-mentioned analysis. Rather, it will be what happened on Ottawa’s final drive.

Tied 27-27, the Redblacks had the ball on their own 21-yard line with 37 seconds remaining in the game. The choices that faced Bob Dyce’s squad were to either attempt to run out the clock and play for overtime or move into field goal range. Given that Winnipeg still had the ability to stop the clock with a timeout, the latter made the most sense.

In fact, it seemed like Ottawa was trying to be aggressive when they elected to throw on first down. The pass fell incomplete, but given the situation, a pass on second was the only logical option. Instead, the Redblacks ran it, allowing the Bombers to stop the clock, force the punt and get the ball back with enough time left to march into field goal range for the win.

For such an experienced coaching staff — Condell has been in the CFL since 2004, and Dyce since 2003 — the play selection was baffling. Ottawa had the worst of both worlds as they didn’t chew the clock (only killing 10 seconds) and didn’t move the ball. As soon as the Redblacks punted, you could feel the loss coming.

4) Heading into this contest, what R-Nation wanted was the offence to carry over their performance from Toronto and the defence to turn the page. Instead, they got the opposite.

William Fields’ defence wasn’t quite as bad as they were in Toronto, but the unit was still a major cause for concern, as evidenced by the 7.2 yards per play the group conceded.

Furthermore, for the second game in a row, the unit failed to record a sack. That’s not to say they didn’t generate any pressure, but they had no finish. Zach Collaros repeatedly wiggled out of collapsing pockets and broke contain for first downs, including on the final drive that set up the game-winning field goal.

In addition to killing the Redblacks with his shiftiness, Collaros picked apart the defence with his arm, completing 71 percent of his passes. Ottawa’s coverage deficiencies are further evidenced by the YAC put up by the Blue Bombers’ receivers. Of Collaros’ 298 passing yards, 133 came after the catch.

Overall, Winnipeg converted 42 percent of their second-down opportunities and went two for two in the red zone. A big reason for their success in stringing drives together was their ability to get Ottawa’s defenders to bite on play-action passes and a couple of devastatingly timed screens.

Nic Demski makes the grab and goes for a run!#CFLGameDay
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If you’re looking for positives to build on, there are the two interceptions and the fact that of Winnipeg’s 15 possessions, only six ended in points.

As he often does, star linebacker Adarius Pickett led the way with eight tackles, including one for a loss. Defensive back Deandre Lamont had four tackles and a knockdown, while C.J. Coldon made two tackles and an interception. Thrust into action at safety following injuries to Bennett Williams and Justin Howell, King Ambers — Ottawa’s eighth-round pick in the 2025 CFL draft — finished with a tackle and interception. Defensive linemen Michael Wakefield and Bryce Carter each get shoutouts for making some hellacious, run-stuffing tackles for losses.

OTTAWA GETS THE BALL BACK!

King Ambers intercepts it with under a minute to play in Winnipeg.

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5) I really wasn’t a fan of head coach Bob Dyce’s decision to kick a 46-yard field goal on third-and-one when down 17 with 11 minutes left in the game. As mentioned above, Dyce has been in the CFL since 2003 and thus forgotten more than I can ever hope to know of the game, but the decision was puzzling.

Yes, Ottawa was down three scores, and a field goal made it a two-score game. But the offence seemed to be rolling, and the team had momentum. Why not push on and try to get that touchdown out of the way? If you get the touchdown and Winnipeg responds with a field goal, it’s still a two-score game. If you kick a field goal and they respond with one of their own, it’s again a three-score game. Ultimately, the decision paid off, but only because of an equally questionable decision from Winnipeg to attempt a late, long field goal.

What I think Ottawa’s coaching staff would do well to reflect on is that fans can always forgive smart aggressiveness, even if it fails. The same isn’t true when a coach comes off as being overly conservative. Not to mention, it’s not like it’s the first time this type of situation has come up during Dyce’s tenure. Frequently, he defaults to taking the conservative route. With all due respect, how has that worked out in recent seasons? Maybe it’s time to roll the dice (pardon the pun) a bit more and let the chips fall where they may.

6) Even if Ottawa’s offensive line only gave up one sack, the unit was under siege for the majority of the game. Winnipeg’s front seven frequently had the Redblacks’ offensive linemen on their heels and collapsed the pocket with alarming frequency. In fact, the only reason Ottawa didn’t give up more sacks was due to Brown throwing the ball away, and Crum getting the ball out of his hand almost as soon as he caught the snap.

In addition to the pass protection woes, the unit once again struggled to open lanes in the ground game. Their inability to convert in short yardage and punch in a touchdown early in the game wound up being the difference between a win and a loss.

7) Justin Hardy is pretty good at football, Exhibit #271

What a LEAPING CATCH by Justin Hardy! 😤#CFLGameDay
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— CFL (@CFL) August 15, 2025

That sensational snatch-and-run was one of two passes Hardy hauled in and Ottawa’s only explosive play of the game. The 33-year-old finished with 48 yards and,for the second consecutive week, a touchdown.

As for the rest of the receiving corps, Eugene Lewis made five catches for 72 yards, with 35 of those yards coming after the catch. Given how well he played last week, it was strange to see Ottawa fail to look his way even once in the red zone. Kalil Pimpleton made four catches for 39 yards but also had a pair of drops. Bralon Addison snagged seven passes for 60 yards, with many of those catches coming right at the sticks and resulting in huge collisions. He also took a handoff for seven yards.

Finally, Canadian Keelan White continued his strong rookie season with three catches for 44 yards, two of which moved the chains.

8) A week after taking centre stage, running backs William Stanback and Daniel Adeboboye had quieter performances.

Stanback finished with eight carries for 50 yards — good for 6.3 yards per rush — and his longest gain of the night was 19 yards. He also caught one pass for 12 yards. Adeboboye, meanwhile, had six carries for 21 yards — good for 3.5 yards per rush — and his longest gain of the night was seven yards. He also had a 16-yard reception.

Stanback with a huge run to keep the ball moving for Ottawa!#CFLGameDay
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9) It was definitely a mixed bag performance from Rick Campbell’s special teams units. The bad was allowing backup defensive lineman Tanner Schmekel to burst by long snapper Peter Adjey and fullback Anthony Gosselin untouched, and block Richie Leone’s punt. The blocked kick led directly to points, as Winnipeg scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive.

THAT’S NOT ALLOWED.

PUNT BLOCK 😤#ForTheW pic.twitter.com/8N5pZbceW1

— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) August 15, 2025

More bad was a couple of flags that wiped out long kickoff returns by Pimpleton and allowed Bomber returner Trey Vaval to average 13.3 per punt return.

The good was Lewis Ward splitting the uprights from 43 and 46 yards out and, of course, Pimpleton’s electric 117-yard missed field goal return touchdown that looked to have given Ottawa the necessary juice to steal a late win.

THE REDBLACKS TIE THE GAME WITH LESS THAN A MINUTE TO GO ON A FIELD GOAL RETURN TOUCHDOWN 🤯#CFL pic.twitter.com/ABvPP0NKds

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) August 15, 2025

In terms of kick coverage, Tyron Vrede led the way on specials with two tackles.

9) Another week, another handful of concerning injuries for the Redblacks. Following last week’s win over the Argos, news emerged that linebacker Frankie Griffin was out long-term with a fractured wrist and defensive back Amari Henderson was out for the season with a knee injury.

Against the Bombers, quarterback Dru Brown and safeties Bennett Williams and Justin Howell all left the game and failed to return. Fullback Marco Dubois was shaken up, returned, then shaken up again. Defensive end Lorenzo Mauldin was shaken up but returned, as did Pimpleton.

Hopefully, none of the injuries prove overly serious, as the Redblacks’ depth was already being sorely tested.

10) First off, congrats to the Bombers’ faithful for yet another sellout. They are head and shoulders the best fans in the CFL right now. Sellouts are rare across the league, and nobody else is even sniffing one on a Thursday night game.

THURSDAY NIGHT? SOLD OUT. THAT’S 10 STRAIGHT SELLOUTS 🫡 (AND THE BANJO BOWL IS ALREADY LOCKED IN FOR 11)

we’ve only got THREE home games left with tickets available. GET ‘EM BEFORE THEY’RE GONE 👇

tickets » https://t.co/1FlCx1lkSI#ForTheW pic.twitter.com/q9RWS2nuWH

— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) August 12, 2025

With that said, dear Winnipeg Jets, please take note. Your football brethren get it. When you do a Whiteout, YOU WEAR WHITE AT HOME! I’ll never complain about seeing Ottawa use their home blacks — it’s their best uniform by a LONG shot — and it was nice to finally see the whiteout done properly. It drives me nuts every spring that Jets fans create an incredible “Whiteout” atmosphere, and the Jets come out in blue.

11) In a bit of a weird stat that might only interest me, all of the Redblacks’ away games this season have finished as one-possession games. Ottawa’s record on the road so far is 2-4.

12) Good teams find ways to win, and at 3-7, Ottawa is clearly not a good team. That’s not to say they’re a bad team exactly — four of their seven losses have been by one score — but at this point, flashing potential isn’t enough.

More than half the season is gone. In a year where the Redblacks were supposed to contend for the right to host a home playoff game, they’re third in the East and will spend the rest of the season playing out crossover scenarios, as both B.C. and Winnipeg would currently take their spot in the playoffs.

The most frustrating thing about this particular loss is that despite the injury to Brown and early miscues, they had a chance in the final minute of the game to write a new, better ending than the ones R-Nation have become accustomed to — and jaded by — in recent years. Instead, it was more of the same.

That said, if you’re looking for a silver lining, despite falling behind by 17 points, the team’s belief in itself never wavered. Say what you want about coaching decisions, it’s clear that Dyce has instilled a belief in his team that they aren’t out of any game, regardless of what the scoreboard says. To date, the Redblacks haven’t quit and demonstrated plenty of fight in every game, which counts for something.

13) Up next for the Redblacks is a Friday night contest with the Elks at TD Place. Mathematically, it’s not a must-win, but if they want any chance of continuing to offer hope to fans that the 2025 season isn’t going to end with the team outside the playoffs looking in, they need to come away with a victory.