CALGARY — It took 61 seconds for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to go from glory to gloom.
The Blue and Gold were on the verge of their biggest victory of the season after Sergio Castillo drilled a Canadian Football League record-tying 63-yard field goal (with room to spare) to take a one-point lead over the Calgary Stampeders with a tick over one minute remaining.
That was too much time for Calgary’s offence, which drove the ball into field goal range in four plays before René Paredes delivered a walk-off 40-yard boot to hand Winnipeg a dramatic 28-27 defeat before 20,902 in attendance at McMahon Stadium on Saturday.
It was a gut-wrenching loss for a club that looked to finally experience some good in a stretch that has featured a lot of bad.
The Bombers dropped to 4-4 on the campaign, while the Stampeders improved to 6-3.
It’s Winnipeg’s fourth loss in its last five, while Calgary has swept the three-game season series between the two teams for the first time since 2016.
“Good call to start the drive with,” defensive back Redha Kramdi began of the Stampeders’ game-winning drive. “They saw we were two-versus-two to the field, they won that matchup. And then we went zero (a blitz that leaves no safety help), and they had a good play drawn up. We talked about it during the week. We were expecting it, but still a hard play to make.
“It’s just unfortunate. The plays were here to be mad,e and we didn’t.”
Adding a bit of extra sting is that the Bombers led this contest 17-0 early in the second quarter before the offence went quiet and the defence returned to some of its bad habits.
The Bombers had fallen off the rails and were trying to reclaim some level of stability against a formidable Stampeders team. While this performance was an improvement, they will return home still teetering.
“A play here or a play there, and we may have a different outcome. You don’t know,” said head coach Mike O’Shea. “Hard fought by both teams right to the very end. We jump out, they claw back. It still comes down to a field goal with no time on the clock. I mean, as far as CFL goes, it’s a pretty slick CFL game.”
The Bombers will return home to face the Ottawa Redblacks on Thursday, August 14 at Princess Auto Stadium.
Let’s dive into this one first.
ADAMS JR. OUTDUELS COLLAROS
It was a clean game for both starting pivots, who were each returning to action from one-game absences, but Adams Jr. lived up to his “Big play V.A.” nickname by making the biggest throws of the night.
Adams Jr., who missed last week with a concussion, was 17-of-24 for 300 yards and two touchdowns, both to Tevin Jones (two catches, 86 yards).
JEFF MCINTOSH / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Calgary Stampeders quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. lived up to his “Big play V.A.” nickname by making the biggest throws of the night.
The Stampeders’ offence was stuck in the stable for the entire first quarter. On their opening drive of the second, Adams Jr. found Jones on a 78-yard shot for a touchdown with Bombers’ newly acquired defensive back Dexter Lawson Jr. in coverage.
Jones beat Lawson Jr. on a simple post route, and safety Jake Kelly couldn’t get over to help in time, as Jones caught the pass and broke both tackle attempts before waltzing into the end zone.
Two drives later, with Calgary at Winnipeg’s 15-yard line, Jones ran a beautiful double move on Terrell Bonds and was all alone in the end zone when Adams Jr. found him.
Bonds was injured on the play and needed help off the field. He did not return to the game, and Trey Vaval replaced him.
“It’s just them finding a way to convert on second down,” said Willie Jefferson, who had one defensive tackle and two knockdowns. “As a defence, we were getting to him, making him move around, getting him off his spot… but then we just got to get off the field on second down. We had a couple of opportunities to get off the field on second down, and they just made some good plays.”
Meanwhile, Collaros, who missed Week 9 with a neck injury, completed 21 of 26 passes for 214 yards and one touchdown.
The Bombers’ star quarterback was dialled in early on, as Winnipeg’s offence left the field with points on three of its first four drives. The opening series ended with a 48-yard field goal by Castillo, who also connected from 53 and 37 on this night.
After a one-yard plunge by Chris Streveler extended the Bombers’ lead to 10-0, Collaros began to heat up.
He found Brady Oliveira on a perfectly placed seed up the left hash for a 42-yard gain, then two plays later threw a strike into the teeth of the Stampeders’ blitz, finding Jerreth Sterns for a 23-yard touchdown to cap a seven-play, 68-yard drive that took up less than two minutes, thanks to a big return by Trey Vaval.
Interceptions have been a big knock on Collaros this season, but he certainly reigned in the risk level of his throws on this night.
BRADY’S DAY
The Bombers weren’t going to let Brady Oliveira be scripted out of this one.
There have been questions about the reigning Most Outstanding Player’s usage in the first half of the season. It’s been difficult for the Bombers to run the ball as much as they would like while trying to pull themselves out of large deficits.
On this day, Oliveira was the focal point of the offence early and often.
At halftime, the visitors had run 31 plays. Their bell cow running back touched the ball on 15 of them — eight rushes, seven receptions — for 146 total scrimmage yards.
Oliveria finished with 12 carries for 68 yards and was Winnipeg’s leading receiver on the night, hauling in nine passes for 100 yards.
Collaros said it wasn’t in the Bombers’ game plan to throw to Oliveria that much, but it certainly worked, as the club scored 23 points in the first half.
“Personally, I felt good throughout the game,” said Oliveria. “I thought, as an offence, we were moving the ball well, and unfortunately, we got to play an entire four quarters.
“We need to finish games out,” he added. “We started fast in the first half, and I think we kind of slowed down a little bit, and I’m not sure why that exactly happened. I think, obviously, watch your tape on the plane tonight, flying back to Winnipeg, and then maybe get a better understanding. Right now, it’s hard when you try to stay in the game and try not to think about that. You’re just trying to stay in the moment, forget about the past, be present — when the ball comes your way, you need to make a play.”
OFFENCE GOES SILENT
It was tracking to be a marvellous day for Winnipeg’s offence.
The first half featured seven possessions, five of which ended in points. They were also stuffed on a third-and-short deep in Calgary’s territory in the second quarter, which could’ve produced more points.
Then the second half came.
Winnipeg’s drive results after halftime were as follows: punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, field goal.
After registering 241 yards of net offence in the first half, the Bombers netted 62 yards in the second half as the game slipped away.
JEFF MCINTOSH / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros (8) completed 21 of 26 passes for 214 yards and one touchdown.
“Just reflecting on it right now, too many second-and-longs,” said Collaros. “Don’t want to take anything away from (Calgary), obviously, but we have to be better. Our defence, holding that team to 28 points, we should win that football game — especially, (special) teams did a great job, too. So we have to carry our weight.”
KEY EXPLOSIVES
The big plays allowed by the Bombers’ defence will continue to be notable until they shore things up.
The Stampeders, who combined for seven explosive plays in the first two meetings between these clubs, had three on this night — all from the arm of Adams Jr.
And it could’ve been more.
Before the Stampeders’ second touchdown, Adams Jr. tested the Bombers’ defence with Kelly on the field again, as he heaved a 40-yard pass intended for Dominique Rhymes. Kelly panicked and pushed Rhymes just as the ball was arriving, and was called for pass interference.
Adams Jr. also found Clark Barnes on a 39-yard gain in the third quarter — which led to a 14-yard field goal from Paredes — and Jalen Philpot on a sensational 48-yard connection up the left sideline later in the third frame, which led to a 31-yard make by Paredes, who went four-for-five on kicks.
The Bombers have harped on improving communication to shore up their recurring issues on the backend. However, the Stampeders were simply the better team in the biggest moments on this night.
“Sometimes, the call is made by the coach, and you need to execute. And then when you recognize where you need to be, you need to be there and make the play when it comes your way,” said Kramdi.
“And sometimes the person and the play call offensively is just a good call against what we’re doing. I think we talked a lot about communication and all that good stuff, but sometimes it’s just the call is good for what we’re in, and they made a play, and we didn’t. It’s as simple as that.”
POINT-AFTER
In what was a precarious situation, Vaval allowed two kickoffs to sail over his head and into the end zone in the first half, conceding a pair of singles to the Stampeders.
Those points proved huge in a one-point affair. O’Shea said the rookie returner was instructed to let the kicks go.
“You’re trading a point for 40 yards,” he said. “He’s gonna catch it at the five (yard line).”
joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca
X: @jfreysam
Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh.
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