{"id":785536,"date":"2026-07-07T07:09:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T07:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/785536\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T07:09:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T07:09:31","slug":"upon-further-review-blue-bombers-14-tiger-cats-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/785536\/","title":{"rendered":"Upon Further Review | Blue Bombers 14 Tiger-Cats 13"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have some quarterback questions to answer in the days ahead \u2014 Is Zach Collaros healthy? Is Dru Brown good to go? If QB1 is down has Taylor Elgersma earned another start? \u2014 but in the immediate aftermath of Sunday\u2019s win there was no debating this:<\/p>\n

However it may have looked, Elgersma, the rookie Canadian, came off the bench, threw for a TD and led the team on a game-winning drive inside the final three minutes of Sunday night\u2019s 14-13 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.<\/p>\n

So, while the narrative this week leading up to Friday\u2019s home date with the Toronto Argonauts will fixate on those QB questions above, Elgersma\u2019s role in the victory certainly wasn\u2019t lost on the men in the locker room.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s face it, after all, 2-2 looks a whole lot better than 1-3 right now.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m extremely proud of how he managed everything,\u201d said running back Brady Oliveira of Elgersma, who was seated in the locker stall next to him Sunday. \u201cHe gets thrown into the fire like that, and it\u2019s so clich\u00e9 but it\u2019s so true, you never know when your opportunity is going to come and you\u2019ve got to make the most of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about how you respond, especially at the quarterback position. You have to manage everyone in that huddle, you have to be the leader, and he didn\u2019t flinch, man. He didn\u2019t flinch.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was really excited in there,\u201d Oliveira added with a grin. \u201cSometimes we had to say, \u2018OK, relax. We\u2019ve got time.\u2019 He was so excited to be out there. I remember Tim (White) saying in the huddle, \u2018Hey, just let him be young. Just let him live this moment.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re in the huddle and you look in a teammate\u2019s eyes, what\u2019s the look they\u2019re giving you? He had a fierce competitive look on his face. I could appreciate that. It was, \u2018OK, this guy is ready to roll. He\u2019s got our back, let\u2019s have his back.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so proud of him. A huge, huge, huge first win for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Granted, Elgersma was operating what seemed to be conservative play calls as the Blue Bombers read the situation after the injury to Bo Levi Mitchell and with his replacements Tre Ford and Jake Dolegala struggling and saw the pathway to victory was going to be by grinding out a win.<\/p>\n

Elgersma finished 11-of-15 for 86 yards in relief of Collaros, including a shovel pass to Pokey Wilson that turned into a 31-yard score.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just trying to execute, get the ball in our playmakers\u2019 hands and make sure I\u2019m not taking any negative plays and just being able to get the next first down,\u201d Elgersma said. \u201cThat was my mindset the whole game: how can we get one more first down?<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026 That\u2019s all your trying to do, especially as a young quarterback out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

ICYMI, here is our Game Recap from Sunday night:<\/p>\n

Game Recap | Wpg 14 Ham 13<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

And what follows is this week\u2019s edition of UPON FURTHER REVIEW\u2026<\/p>\n

FIRST THINGS FIRST\u2026 Good luck to Mitchell in his recovery after the injury he suffered after being sacked by Jake Ceresna. Mitchell has long been a Blue Bombers nemesis since his days in Calgary, but there is a respect for the veteran pivot, and it was a tough scene seeing him taken from the field in an ambulance.<\/p>\n

Bo Levi Mitchell shares heartfelt message following Week 5 injury. pic.twitter.com\/T9dD1mA8lv<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 CFL (@CFL) July 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing Bo going into the ambulance, that\u2019s really sad,\u201d said defensive back Redha Kramdi. \u201cHe\u2019s great for this league, he\u2019s great for his team and he\u2019s a great football player. You don\u2019t want to see someone get injured.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll praise to him. Hopefully he gets well soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

WHAT\u2019S NEXT FOR THE BLUE BOMBERS\u2026 at QB will be shrouded in mystery during this short practice week. The club arrived back in Winnipeg in the wee hours Monday morning and won\u2019t be back on the field for practice until Wednesday.<\/p>\n

That session, FYI, is closed to the media meaning the status of Collaros, the availability of Brown and what happens to Elgersma and Perkins won\u2019t officially be known until the depth chart is released Thursday morning.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s O\u2019Shea on Elgersma post-game:<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought he took care of the football very well. I thought he made good decisions. Everybody is going to want to have a play back \u2014 not just Taylor, everybody.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026 As far as Taylor goes, I\u2019m excited for him. I thought he handled himself very well. There were some conditions that happened in the game that can make it even tougher, and I thought he battled through it.\u201d<\/p>\n

And O\u2019Shea when asked again about the decision not to dress Brown:<\/p>\n

\u201cI just thought that was the right decision. I wouldn\u2019t want to put him in there and not have anything less than a full playbook. I thought that gave us our best chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

THREE NUMBERS WHICH JUMPED OUT AFTER\u2026 a second glance at the stats package, which can be found here:<\/a><\/p>\n

1 The Blue Bombers last possession Sunday night \u2014 a 12-play, 54-yard drive that featured 44 yards on seven carries by Oliveira, a run by Elgersma for three, an Elgersma pass to Gavin Cobb for six yards, a run by Perkins for one and one penalty before Sergio Castillo\u2019s game-winning field goal \u2014 was classic Winnipeg bully ball.<\/p>\n

It featured four second-down conversions \u2014 including a 10-yard run by Oliveira on second and eight \u2014 and took three minutes and four seconds off the clock.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the jump we know \u2014 D-line, O-line \u2014 that\u2019s it\u2019s always going to come down to the trenches,\u201d said right tackle Jarell Broxton. \u201cIt starts with us. So, that last drive, when we know it\u2019s going to be us running and pounding the ball, that\u2019s exciting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s best about that is the trust, knowing that they\u2019re depending on us up front and the running back.\u201d<\/p>\n

2 The interception by Major Williams with just over three minutes to go and the Ticats leading 13-11 was massive. It was also Winnipeg\u2019s first pick of the season, and it came after a couple of other glorious opportunities to grab one by Evan Holm and Deatrick Nichols.<\/p>\n

It was an important moment for Williams, too, because he had been targeted by the Ticats throughout the game. And while he nailed for a couple of pass interference penalties, he also was solid in coverage.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cA shout out to my defensive coordinator JY (Jordan Younger) and the support of my DBs and my peers,\u201d said Williams with a wide grin after the game. \u201cEverybody kept talking to me today and they probably felt what I felt \u2014 (Hamilton) was coming at me and they helped me get through it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know playing cornerback is one of the hardest positions and that you\u2019re going to get targeted a lot. That\u2019s the game. That\u2019s what you want as a defender. I look at those as opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams, FYI, had the ball from his interception sitting on a towel in his locker afterward.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got a little treat to take home to Winnipeg\u201d<\/p>\n

3 Mitchell connected with Kenny Lawler for a TD on Hamilton\u2019s first possession but, despite his solid numbers \u2014 18-of-29 for 228 yards \u2014 the Ticats could only manage a pair of field goals after that score.<\/p>\n

Winnipeg also shut down both Tre Ford and Jake Dolegala in relief as they combined to go just 3-of-9 for 12 yards with the Williams interception.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve still got a lot of work to do, but it\u2019s a great feeling for us to have the offence\u2019s backs and give them the opportunity to drive down at the end of the game like that,\u201d said Kramdi.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took me a couple of weeks to really look around the room and say, \u2018We\u2019ve actually got a new guys playing this year.\u2019 Every year is different, like we always say, and that\u2019s the honest truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

AND FINALLY\u2026 \u00a0for those of you who have read this far, thank you. And for those who missed the game or want to relive all the highs and lows of Sunday\u2019s win, check out the condensed game here:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n