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JOHN WOODS \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS<\/p>\n
Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros (8) gets sacked by Hamilton\u2019s Mario Kendricks (22) during second half CFL football action in Winnipeg on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could see it the entire week of practice, I could see it on the travel \u2014 things were different, guys were locked in,\u201d said Ticats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell after the game.<\/p>\n
Both Winnipeg and Hamilton are now 1-1 on the year.<\/p>\n
The Bombers will have time to lick their wounds and search for answers as they enter their first bye week. They\u2019ll return to action on June 25 when they host the Edmonton Elks.<\/p>\n
Before we kick our feet up and enjoy the break, let\u2019s revisit this one with the latest edition of 5 Takeaways.<\/p>\n
Dreadful defence<\/p>\n
This Bombers defence has been as reliable as a brick wall in recent years.<\/p>\n
Two games into 2026, that wall is starting to look a lot more like paper-m\u00e2ch\u00e9.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ve finished each of the last five seasons with the fewest offensive points allowed, but early signs suggest that streak could be in jeopardy.<\/p>\n
Mitchell ripped the Bombers\u2019 secondary to shreds in the first half, completing 15 of 19 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns. Linebacker Tony Jones sacked him in the fourth quarter, but outside of that, nobody \u2014 not even Week 1 hero Jake Ceresna \u2014 consistently got in his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cMan, Bo was being Bo,\u201d said Bombers cornerback Jonathan Moxey. \u201cHe\u2019s a veteran, he\u2019s gonna let it fly, so, we just got to look at ourselves and find a way to get better to limit some of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The secondary has been shaky at best, but the run defence has been even worse. Last year, Winnipeg held opponents to 94.1 rushing yards per game. This season, both Calgary and Hamilton have piled up 171 rushing yards against them.<\/p>\n
On paper, the Bombers remain loaded with talent at every level of the defence, which raises the question: are cracks beginning to appear in defensive co-ordinator Jordan Younger\u2019s scheme?<\/p>\n
Clutch gene lacking<\/p>\n
We\u2019re not done talking about this defence just yet.<\/p>\n
In Week 1, they allowed Stampeders quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. and Co. march 104 yards on a 15-play drive and take a 28-27 lead with one minute remaining. Fortunately for Winnipeg, that still left enough time for the offence to answer and set up Sergio Castillo\u2019s walk-off 38-yard field goal.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros wasn\u2019t afforded the same opportunity because the defence failed to make a stop with the game on the line.<\/p>\n
Leading 34-27 with 2:12 remaining, Hamilton drove 61 yards to allow Marc Liegghio seal the deal with a chip shot. The drive was highlighted by a 22-yard scramble from backup quarterback Tre Ford and a 30-yard completion from Mitchell to Kiondr\u00e9 Smith.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt hurts. In a crucial drive like that when we\u2019re down one possession, we want to get that stop but we didn\u2019t operate as a unit how we were supposed to,\u201d said linebacker Tony Jones.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just couldn\u2019t get off the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
The defence\u2019s inability to deliver in the biggest moments of back-to-back games is discouraging, to say the least.<\/p>\n
Vintage Collaros<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t all bad for Winnipeg.<\/p>\n
Quarterback Zach Collaros did his part, completing 28 of 35 passes for 421 yards \u2014 his highest total since throwing for 432 yards against Edmonton on Sept. 27, 2024 \u2014 along with two touchdowns and one interception.<\/p>\n
His favourite target was Tommy Nield, who finished with a career-high 111 yards on seven receptions.<\/p>\n
\u201cZach and our receivers played incredible,\u201d said Oliveira. \u201cWhen Zach\u2019s on and the receivers are on like that, good things are going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
The veteran pivot likely lost some sleep over his lone turnover, though.<\/p>\n
With just over a minute remaining in the first half and the Bombers inside Hamilton\u2019s 20-yard line, Collaros forced a pass toward a covered Pokey Wilson in the end zone. Safety Stavros Katsantonis made the interception, and the Ticats later turned that momentum into a field goal to take a 24-10 lead into halftime.<\/p>\n
Rountree rallies back<\/p>\n
Who could have predicted Larry Rountree III would nearly quadruple Brady Oliveira\u2019s rushing output?<\/p>\n
The former Los Angeles Charger had a forgettable CFL debut last week, managing just 23 yards on eight carries against Montreal. On Thursday, he gashed the Bombers for 124 yards on 23 attempts.<\/p>\n
With Winnipeg trailing for much of the game and Collaros airing it out, Oliveira finished with eight carries for 32 yards. He still made an impact through the air, recording six catches for 51 yards.<\/p>\n
It was Oliveira\u2019s lowest rushing total since last year\u2019s Labour Day Classic, when he carried five times for 24 yards.<\/p>\n
Revenge game<\/p>\n
Keric Wheatfall showed flashes of brilliance \u2014 along with some long forgettable stretches \u2014 during his two seasons in Winnipeg.<\/p>\n
His inconsistency led the Bombers to let him walk in free agency, and he signed with Hamilton.<\/p>\n
Clearly motivated against his former team, Wheatfall made the Bombers pay with three catches for 102 yards in the first half. It was a much-needed bounce-back performance after his overtime fumble against Montreal in Week 1.<\/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\t\t\t \u201cCome on down to Hamilton,\u201d said Wheatfall with a laugh in a post-game interview with TSN, mocking Willie Jefferson\u2019s trademark saying.<\/p>\n Wheatfall is one of three former Bombers receivers now catching passes from Mitchell. Kenny Lawler was surprisingly quiet with just two catches for 17 yards, though he also drew a 28-yard pass interference penalty. Myron Mitchell, who struggled to crack Winnipeg\u2019s lineup as a rookie in 2024, contributed five catches for 50 yards.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a bittersweet feeling. This league isn\u2019t that big, so you know guys on every team,\u201d said Jefferson.<\/p>\n \u201cYou want your team to execute and do the right things and win the game, but when you have friends and ex-teammates on other teams, you want to see them do good, but you also want to see them get stopped when you play them.\u201d<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/taylorallen<\/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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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