The Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ heartbreaking 28-27 road loss to the Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Stadium on Saturday went beyond the standings.
At 4-4, the Blue and Gold are in the thick of the CFL’s West Division playoff race as the page flips to the second half of the season, but it’s fair to wonder how a victory against one of the league’s top teams might’ve helped turn the tide for a club that had played an uninspiring brand of football for weeks.
In that sense, the Bombers whiffed on a golden opportunity.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros, left, fakes a handoff to Nic Demski during first half CFL football action against the Calgary Stampeders in Calgary, Alta., Saturday. (Jeff McIntosh / The Canadian Press files)
Winnipeg was set up to pull off the upset after Sergio Castillo connected on a CFL record-tying 63-yard field goal to give the visitors a late lead. However, Calgary only needed four plays to get into range for René Paredes, who drilled a 40-yard boot with zeroes on the clock to complete a dramatic victory for the Stamps, who improved to 6-3.
Calgary has won all three regular-season meetings against the Bombers for the first time since 2016, while Winnipeg has now dropped four of its last five.
“We just got to find a way to make one or two of those little plays,” said Willie Jefferson.
“It’s gonna sting for the night… but once we start watching film on the next team, we can’t dwell on the past. We gotta keep moving forward. We gotta try to stack some wins together, and just keep moving.”
Indeed, there’s no time to dwell. The Bombers must reset for a home date against the Ottawa Redblacks (3-6) at Princess Auto Stadium on Thursday (7:30 p.m.).
Before we turn to Week 11, let’s wrap up Week 10 with the latest edition of Five Takeaways.
Feed Brady
There’s an old adage in football: players over plays.
It means that rather than trying to find the perfect play for a particular situation, offensive play callers are best advised to dial up something to get the ball in the hands of their most impactful players.
The Bombers’ offence is at its best when Brady Oliveira is touching the ball frequently.
Winnipeg tied a season-high with 23 points in the first half. The offence ran 31 plays in the opening two quarters — Oliveira touched the ball 15 times and amassed 146 total scrimmage yards on those opportunities, as Zach Collaros looked his way eight times in the passing game, including on a beautiful 42-yard connection up the left hash, while Winnipeg racked up 241 yards of net offence.
In the second half, Oliveira nearly disappeared from the game plan, and so did the Bombers’ offence.
The bell cow running back touched the ball just six times after halftime — five rushes, one reception — while Winnipeg mustered a dismal 62 yards of net offence and punted on five of their six possessions.
First-year offensive co-ordinator Jason Hogan has been scrutinized about his usage — or lack thereof — of Oliveira this season, and that doesn’t look to change after the offence squandered a solid performance by the Bombers’ defence.
Who else is there?
Part of the outcry over Oliveira’s usage is that the Bombers have lacked consistent production from the receiving corps, beyond hometown product Nic Demski.
Oliveira (nine catches for 100 yards) was Winnipeg’s leading receiver on this night, but that wasn’t by design. Collaros rarely had a throw he completed in rhythm, as he was forced to hold onto the ball and dance in the pocket while waiting for one of his pass-catchers to uncover.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ Nic Demski, left,escapes a tackle from Calgary Stampeders’ Bailey Devine-Scott during first half CFL football action in Calgary, Alta., Saturday. (Jeff McIntosh / The Canadian Press files)
Behind Oliveira in receiving were Kevens Clercius, three catches for 32 yards; Demski, three grabs for 28 yards; Jerreth Sterns, three receptions for 27 yards; Dillon Mitchell, three catches for 22 yards; and Keric Wheatfall, one catch for seven yards.
The offence’s biggest play of the game came on a 23-yard strike from Collaros to Sterns, who waltzed into the end zone untouched in the first quarter.
The absence of star receiver Dalton Schoen, whose return remains unknown, looms large for this group.
Collaros needs at least two pass catchers he can count on, regardless of the situation.
Young game-wrecker
If the Bombers and Stamps are to meet again in the playoffs, rest assured, there will be a concerted effort to stop Jaylon Hutchings.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros, right, is sacked by Calgary Stampeders’ Jaylon Hutchings during second half CFL football action in Calgary, Alta., Saturday. (Jeff McIntosh / The Canadian Press files)
The Stampeders’ 25-year-old defensive tackle was a problem for the interior of the Bombers’ offensive line.
Hutchings continued his breakout season, registering a pair of sacks and pressuring Collaros on three occasions. He now has six sacks to go with 24 defensive tackles this season.
The 6 foot, 304-pounder also made several important plays in the run game, and even sniffed out a screen pass in the third quarter, hauling Oliveira to the ground to end the Bombers’ drive.
At least there’s special teams
The third phase of the game continues to be special for the Blue and Gold.
Sergio Castillo was nails again on this night, connecting from 49, 53 and 37 yards before his record-tying kick.
Castillo is 21-of-23 on the year, and his three makes of 50-plus yards are tied for second most in the league, while his average attempt of 39.2 yards is the most of any kicker.
The kicking battery has been solid with rookie Ian Leroux snapping and Jamieson Sheahan holding.
Meanwhile, Trey Vaval continues to provide a spark in the return game. His 449 punt-return yards were the most of any player entering Week 10, and he averaged 15.8 yards per attempt against Calgary.
Not getting any easier
Believe it or not, the first half was the easy part of the Bombers’ schedule this season.
The Stampeders on the road were just the beginning, and now the Bombers head into the teeth of their campaign.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ Evan Holm, top, and Deatrick Nichols, bottom, tackle Calgary Stampeders’ Dedrick Mills during first half CFL football action in Calgary, Alta., Saturday. (Jeff McIntosh / The Canadian Press files)/p>
After Winnipeg hosts the Redblacks, they hit the road for a pair of games against the Montreal Alouettes (5-4) — who hope Davis Alexander returns by then — and Saskatchewan Roughriders (7-1) on Labour Day. Then the Riders visit to complete the annual home-and-home between the Prairie rivals before the Bombers go back on the road to face the East Division-leading Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Clubs are judged based on their performances against the best teams in the league. The Bombers missed an opportunity against Calgary on Saturday, but they will have plenty more chances coming up.
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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