It was a moment Dillon Mitchell can admit now he needed, both as a confidence booster and as a way of affirming his place in the Winnipeg Blue Bombers attack.

And even now — some 10 days removed from his first touchdown catch in Blue Bombers colours in the win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats — it could serve as momentum for a player who struggled for so long to find a place here after signing with the team in January.

“It definitely felt amazing,” said Mitchell of his 44-yard touchdown on a perfect pass by Zach Collaros. “I felt like I could feel all the energy, especially from the fans, as it was my first time scoring at Princess Auto Stadium.

“Amazing, and it was a great feeling especially with my teammates and brothers being there.”

Dillon Mitchell with his first touchdown reception as a Bomber! #CFLGameDay
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— CFL (@CFL) September 27, 2025

Critical now for Mitchell & Co. is to keep the foot jammed down on the gas pedal, what with this Saturday’s game in Edmonton against the Elks an opportunity to lock up a playoff spot.

The offensive production we saw against the Ticats — 514 yards net offence including 390 through the air — was a welcome sight for a unit that has shown flashes this season but also coughed and sputtered at times.

“It was good,” began offensive coordinator Jason Hogan after practice on Tuesday. “I still think there’s some stuff we need to clean up, a couple of mistakes and stuff to get better at every week, but overall, pretty good, pretty satisfying.

“… We definitely want to build off it. Going into the bye week after that win was the momentum we needed. So, being able to come out here first practice and start where we left off, which is not necessarily easy to do, and I thought we did that yesterday.”

That goes double for Mitchell, whose struggles in training camp bled into the regular season before he made his Winnipeg debut in August. He has just 18 catches for 193 yards, but his work in the Hamilton win was his best as a Blue Bomber in what is becoming a crowded receiver room.

“I see us keep on stacking on days,” said Mitchell when asked for a thought on what’s potentially ahead for the club in the push to the playoffs. ” I feel like I’m not only getting more comfortable and my confidence continuing to rise as a player, I see myself being a huge part of a Grey Cup run.

“We have a thing which I very much got introduced to — FIFO — and I know that part and me making plays, it’s all going to work itself out where we can continue to get wins and get past teams we have not been able to.”

Mitchell credited Collaros in particular for helping him work through his early season adjustments to a new club and in the important development of a QB-receiver chemistry.

“I definitely feel like it’s way further than what it’s been,” he said. “I feel after you meet somebody new you’ve got to get to know them and what they like and for both of us we’ve both made strides. And with him being a leader and a veteran, he’s helped me being able to come out of my shell as a leader as well.

“Zach, he was a big part of why I stayed focussed. More so than anything we talk about personal things and life-things and anything that’s helped me improve my focus, he’s always been there. That’s his job and his job as a leader and he’s been great at it.”

Mitchell said he learned his patience from his mother — “if you just take a second to think about things you might not make the wrong decision but you might make a better one” — and that’s helped him work through a topsy-turvy 2025 which has so far seen him dumped by Edmonton for financial reasons before being scooped up by the Blue Bombers and then the struggle to just crack the lineup here.

As if this weekend’s game against his old club might get his blood boiling, he said:

“I wouldn’t say ‘special feelings’ but always going back and playing somewhere you did play could be a little nostalgic, in a sense. But other than that, I’m just completely focussed on being around the Blue Bombers and my brothers and making sure we get the win. All the other stuff, I can focus on after… hugging people and missing people.

“Any player — for sure, for sure — is always wanting to prove to a team that they played for that they’re still a guy or a good player, especially with the way it ended. I don’t have any hard feelings for the way it ended but going in I don’t want to have a good game — it’s not towards anybody, it’s just more so that I want to do well for the Bombers and for some of the people in Edmonton that supported me that will come (to the game).”

QUOTABLE: Head coach Mike O’Shea in his media conference on Tuesday when asked about Mitchell:

“He’s good. He’s always been good. It was just a matter of him knowing what we’re doing and getting comfortable in the offence.

“We’ve always known he’s a good player. I’m happy for him personally to have success and feel good to have your work pay off for you. But you could see some of the other things he does — he’s hard to bring down, he’s got a strong lower body; he’s got some greasiness to him, some shift that makes him hard to tackle. We’ve seen him get whacked and pop back up like nothing’s happened. He’s got good hands… all that stuff.”

OUCH REPORT: OL Pat Neufeld was back at his right guard spot on Tuesday after missing Monday’s session. C Chris Kolankowski and WR Nic Demski were absent for personal reasons while CB Demerio Houston is expected back on Wednesday.

Injury Report: October 7, 2025#ForTheW pic.twitter.com/3pUeVnhZYD

— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) October 7, 2025

ICYMI: Great chat today with OL Tui Elli today on the latest episode of The Huddle. Check it out here: