Bombers searching for answers after Banjo Bowl loss

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“You know how the West is,” Demski said. “It’s always going to be hard, always going to be a push to the last game of the year. We’ve got to lock in, find a way to win.”

Published Sep 07, 2025 • Last updated 15 minutes ago • 3 minute read

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Bombers Demski FBO CFL Elks Blue Bombers 20250626Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ Jerreth Sterns (89), Nic Demski (10) and Dalton Schoen (83) celebrate Demski’s touchdown against the Edmonton Elks during first half CFL action in Winnipeg Thursday, June 26, 2025. Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods /Winnipeg SunArticle content

Whether good or bad, the reflection in the mirror always reveals the truth.

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“I see mistakes out there that we can’t make to be where we want to be,” receiver Nic Demski said.

The Blue Bombers lost 21-13 to the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday afternoon. The win was the first for the Riders in the Banjo Bowl since 2018, when Zach Collaros was Saskatchewan’s starting quarterback.

Demski caught four passes for 80 yards on Saturday. Demski crossed the 6,000-receiving yards plateau last week in Regina. In total, the Manitoba resident has 6,118 receiving yards in 148 games played.

As Demski referenced, mistakes were at the heart of the eight-point setback. The exact same words could have been uttered after the 34-30 loss last Sunday in Regina.

The Roughriders scored 12 points off four interceptions on Saturday. In the Labour Day Classic, Saskatchewan added 15 points to the ledger on two Winnipeg fumbles. The Bombers have thrown a league high 20 picks through a dozen games played. As a team, they are -11 in the turnover ratio. As a comparison, the Lions are next with 15 interceptions. The Riders have eight interceptions thrown.

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“We are not where we need to be at this point in the season,” defensive back Redha Kramdi said. “We need to shake up and look at ourselves in the mirror and realize what we have to do to get back in the win column.”

Kramdi got his first career interception in the opening quarter when he picked off a Trevor Harris pass intended for Dohnte Meyers. The pick came in Kramdi’s 67th game.

“I am happy I got the monkey off my back, but it doesn’t matter (because we lost the game).”

An expected fall rite around these parts, a home playoff game, well, those hopes are hanging by a fine thread.

“It’s tough,” Brady Oliveira said. “You see how much work the guys put in. Everyone truly puts a lot into this. And seeing our fans come out, consecutive sellout games, just wanted to get a win for them as well. It’s tough.”

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Oliveira ran the ball 20 times for 83 yards. He caught two passes for 19 yards.

And when you throw in three losses to the Calgary Stampeders, the club is 0-5 against the top dogs in the West Division. Winnipeg plays the Roughriders in Week 17 action. The club won both games against the B.C. Lions this season.

“You know how the West is,” Demski said. “It’s always going to be hard, always going to be a push to the last game of the year. We’ve got to lock in, find a way to win. Once we find that way, hopefully momentum will keep going. We’ve got to find a way to do that, starting against Hamilton.”

“I’ve got a lot of faith in our guys that they’re going to come back to work,” head coach Mike O’Shea added. “… And are going to be excited to be on the field and looking forward to getting better and looking forward to Hamilton and finding a way to win.”

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And while a shot at second place in the division seems a bit far-fetched at this juncture of the season, there is still the matter of making the playoffs, because, hey, you never know what can happen then.

Veteran offensive lineman Pat Neufeld says there is plenty of time remaining in the season to turn things around, starting Friday night in The Hammer against the Tiger-Cats.

“We’ve got a great locker-room filled with guys who care about this and want to win more than anything. And that’s the best part,” Neufeld said. “There’s no flinching. There’s just waking up, coming into this building, going to work and putting our next foot forward. That’s all you can do, is just put the blinders on and focus on the task at hand. And really commit to fixing what we’re going wrong.”

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Bombers searching for answers after Banjo Bowl loss

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