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![\"Amber](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CP175145309.jpg\")
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Amber Bracken \/ The Canadian Press<\/p>\n
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Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ Brady Oliveira (second right) had 12 carries for 117 yards to give him 1,088 on the year.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The Bombers could\u2019ve clinched a postseason berth and eliminated the Elks with a win. Instead, they drop to 8-8 to remain fourth in the West Division behind Saskatchewan (12-4), B.C. (9-7), and Calgary (9-7). The good news for the Bombers is they left Edmonton with the tiebreaker as the Elks needed to prevail by 14 or more to take it. Edmonton, now 7-9, is still in the fight but will need some help in the next two weeks to make the playoffs for the first time since 2019.<\/p>\n
Up next for the Bombers is a home date with Saskatchewan \u2014 who clinched the division this weekend and now have nothing to play for \u2014 on Friday at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n
If the Bombers close out the regular season in fourth, they will be the crossover team and play the East semifinal on the road.<\/p>\n
But before the attention shifts to the Roughriders and the playoffs, let\u2019s revisit Saturday with the latest edition of 5 Takeaways.<\/p>\n
Woeful offence<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no sugarcoating it: Zach Collaros was dreadful.<\/p>\n
Did his offensive line or rookie playcaller do him any favours? No, but that doesn\u2019t excuse the performance of the veteran quarterback.<\/p>\n
His footwork was off, his decision-making was off, and his deep passes were way off.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Amber Bracken \/ The Canadian Press<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The score flattered Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros, who had a dreadful outing in Saturday\u2019s 25-20 loss to Edmonton.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Collaros, who was in prime MOP form two weeks ago against Hamilton, struggled mightily to connect with anyone beyond 20 yards. It started on the second possession when Demski was open in the end zone on a corner route and Collaros underthrew it to force the Bombers to settle for a field goal.<\/p>\n But that was nothing compared to the throw before halftime, where Demski got behind two defenders and a flat-footed Collaros chucked up a horrendously short pass that resulted in an easy interception for JJ Ross.<\/p>\n To add salt to the wound, Demski limped off the field and watched the rest of the game on the sidelines in street clothes (more on this later).<\/p>\n With 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Collaros forced a pass to Jerreth Sterns despite their being three green and gold jerseys surrounding the receiver and it was picked off by Kenneth Logan Jr. Dillon Mitchell was wide open underneath, but Collaros was set on his first read and it cost him.<\/p>\n You can\u2019t say the Bombers didn\u2019t have any luck on their side. Collaros could\u2019ve easily had another two interceptions in the second half if linebacker Brock Mogensen and defensive back Kordell Jackson were able to capitalize on misfires thrown in their direction.<\/p>\n As ugly as it was, Collaros still had a chance to march the team down the field at the end to steal a win. Facing a third-and-four on their own 50-yard line with a minute remaining, Collaros heaved an unnecessary shot downfield to a covered Sterns that resulted in a turnover on downs.<\/p>\n The 37-year-old pivot\u2019s stat line was 22-of-34 for 202 yards, one touchdown, and two INTs. He\u2019s now tied with Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle for a league-leading 15 interceptions despite playing three fewer games.<\/p>\n If the Bombers want to write a happy ending to this season, Collaros needs to be much, much better.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Play of the year<\/p>\n Even Collaros\u2019s lone touchdown pass was an underthrown ball.<\/p>\n Thankfully, though, as it led to the most spectacular play of the season.<\/p>\n Down 25-13 with six minutes to go, Collaros aired out a 35-yarder to the end zone that bounced off a pair of defenders and was somehow kept off the ground by Ontaria Wilson, who stretched out his right arm to tap the ball up twice before securing it.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Amber Bracken \/ The Canadian Press<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Catch of the year? Bombers\u2019 Ontaria Wilson made an amazing grab on an underthrown Collaros pass for a TD.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cIn my head, I\u2019m like \u2018It\u2019s my ball or nobody\u2019s ball.\u2019 I was really fighting to not let the defender get the pick, but it ended up being a catchable ball after the bounce,\u201d said Wilson, who finished with four grabs for 65 yards. \u201cI\u2019d rather win than (have) that catch, honestly, but that\u2019s a great catch in my rankings. I\u2019ll always probably remember it. Catches like that don\u2019t happen often.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Down goes Demski<\/p>\n It looks like the Bombers are going to need more circus catches from Wilson moving forward.<\/p>\n It\u2019s never a good sign when a receiver pulls up lame on a route and hobbles off the field, and that\u2019s exactly what happened with Demski. Not to speculate (the Bombers didn\u2019t provide any update after the game), but those are often hamstring injuries that require weeks to heal. With only two regular-season tilts left, time is not on Demski\u2019s side.<\/p>\n Hopefully, it\u2019s not as bad as it looked, but if it is, it\u2019s a heartbreaking end to an impressive campaign for the Winnipegger who was just 30 yards away from setting a new career high. He did have one catch for five yards before he left, which put him at 1,001 on the year to make it three seasons in a row where he\u2019s hit the 1K mark.<\/p>\n Demski\u2019s pal and fellow Winnipeg product Oliveira also hit a milestone in Edmonton. The star running back had 12 carries for 117 yards to give him 1,088 on the year.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Bad luck<\/p>\n It was an obvious sign that it wasn\u2019t meant to be for the Bombers.<\/p>\n The Elks somehow recovered their own fumble on a punt and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown to increase their lead to 25-13 late in the third quarter.<\/p>\n Special teams ace Nick Hallett forced the fumble and countless players on both sides failed to pick it up until it rolled to Kordell Jackson and the rest was history.<\/p>\n It ended up being the difference, which is a brutal way to lose, but it\u2019s hard to have sympathy for the Bombers when they stunk out the joint.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n \t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t Run Rankin run<\/p>\n You can\u2019t point the finger at the Bombers\u2019 defence for the loss, but they do need to be much better against the run.<\/p>\n Elks running back Justin Rankin torched them for 138 yards on 18 handoffs, highlighted by a 62-yard touchdown scamper at the start of third quarter.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s the best running back in the CFL from my perspective,\u201d said Bombers dime back Redha Kramdi.<\/p>\n With that said, they held Edmonton\u2019s offence to 18 points and 307 yards, thanks to keeping quarterback Cody Fajardo in check. If their offence did their part, they would\u2019ve left the Alberta capital with a win.<\/p>\n taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Taylor Allen Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree\/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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