{"id":810425,"date":"2026-07-18T16:32:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T16:32:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/810425\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T16:32:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T16:32:08","slug":"3-keys-to-victory-for-winnipeg-ottawa-in-week-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/810425\/","title":{"rendered":"3 keys to victory for Winnipeg, Ottawa in Week 7"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>OTTAWA \u2014 The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Ottawa REDBLACKS wrap up Week 7 with a Sunday night showdown in the nation\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n<p>Winnipeg is trying to make it three straight wins.<\/p>\n<p>Ottawa is still in search of its first win.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s three keys to victory for each team ahead of Sunday\u2019s 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff, which can be watched on TSN\/RDS2 in Canada, on CBSSN in the U.S., and on CFL+ internationally.<\/p>\n<p>RELATED<br \/>\u00bb Depth Charts: <a href=\"https:\/\/static.cfl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/WINNIPEG-AT-OTTAWA_JULY-19-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">WPG<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/static.cfl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026.07.19.OTTvsWPG.WK07.DEPTHCHART.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">OTT<\/a><br role=\"presentation\"\/>\u00bb <a href=\"https:\/\/static.cfl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026-CFL-Gm-Notes-35-Ott-vs-Wpg-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Game Notes: Blue Bombers at REDBLACKS<\/a><br role=\"presentation\"\/>\u00bb <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ottawaredblacks.com\/2026-schedule\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Tickets: Winnipeg at Ottawa<\/a><br role=\"presentation\"\/>\u00bb\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfl.ca\/2026\/07\/13\/cfl-injury-reports-week-7-3\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Injury Reports: Stay up to date<\/a><br role=\"presentation\"\/>\u00bb\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/gamezone.cfl.ca\/pickem?&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=pickem_2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"https:\/\/gamezone.cfl.ca\/pickem?&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=pickem_2025\" aria-label=\"Who\u2019s gonna win? Play CFL Pick \u2018Em presented by Old Dutch now! - open in a new tab\" data-uw-rm-ext-link=\"\" data-uw-original->Who\u2019s gonna win? Play CFL Pick \u2018Em presented by Old Dutch now!<\/a><br role=\"presentation\"\/>\u00bb\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfl.ca\/plus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" aria-label=\"Sign up and watch CFL games on CFL+ in the U.S. and Internationally - open in a new tab\" data-uw-rm-ext-link=\"\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"PR\" data-uw-original-href=\"https:\/\/www.cfl.ca\/plus\" data-uw-original->Sign up and watch CFL games on CFL+ in the U.S. and Internationally<\/a><\/p>\n<p>WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS<\/p>\n<p>1. DRU BROWN<\/p>\n<p>He may not admit it, but it would be hard for quarterback <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfl.ca\/players\/dru-brown\/164252\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-ga-category=\"Clicks - Article\" data-ga-action=\"article-player-link\" data-ga-opt-label=\"Dru Brown\">Dru Brown<\/a> not to carry a little extra motivation into this week\u2019s game. It was just three weeks ago that Ottawa shipped Brown back to Winnipeg, and he\u2019s since taken over the starting job with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfl.ca\/players\/zach-collaros\/155276\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-ga-category=\"Clicks - Article\" data-ga-action=\"article-player-link\" data-ga-opt-label=\"Zach Collaros\">Zach Collaros<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfl.ca\/2026\/07\/17\/zach-collaros-listed-as-out-against-ottawa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"> recently placed on the six-game injured list<\/a>. Brown was impressive in his first start, completing 25-of-31 passes for 339 yards.<\/p>\n<p>2. PUNCH IT IN<\/p>\n<p>The Blue Bombers put together solid drives against Toronto last week but too often had to settle for field goals. While it worked out, it\u2019s a tough way to find consistent success. When they get the chances this week, they need to capitalise with touchdowns.<\/p>\n<p>3. SERGIO CASTILLO<\/p>\n<p>Kicker Sergio Castillo has made just 70.6 per cent of his field goals this season, a league and career low. But he was good on five of six attempts against the Argos in Week 6, and there will come a time this week when his team needs him to secure the three points.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>OTTAWA REDBLACKS<\/p>\n<p>1. JAKE MAIER<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfl.ca\/players\/jake-maier\/164480\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-ga-category=\"Clicks - Article\" data-ga-action=\"article-player-link\" data-ga-opt-label=\"Jake Maier\">Jake Maier<\/a> has shown flashes, but Ottawa has yet to find it\u2019s rhythm on offence. Some easy completions could go a long way in wiping the slate clean after his four-interception game against Edmonton. The REDBLACKS also feature veteran <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfl.ca\/players\/mcleod-bethel-thompson\/158493\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-ga-category=\"Clicks - Article\" data-ga-action=\"article-player-link\" data-ga-opt-label=\"McLeod Bethel-Thompson\">McLeod Bethel-Thompson<\/a>, who could come off the bench to provide a spark, if necessary.<\/p>\n<p>2. GET GREG BELL ENGAGED<\/p>\n<p>Five games in and running back <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfl.ca\/players\/greg-bell\/168427\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-ga-category=\"Clicks - Article\" data-ga-action=\"article-player-link\" data-ga-opt-label=\"Greg Bell\">Greg Bell<\/a> still hasn\u2019t been able to find his stride in his new home. Head coach Ryan Dinwiddie got him involved with four targets in the pass game a week ago, an approach which could help him get into a rhythm and build some confidence.<\/p>\n<p>3. FIND A WAY TO EXTEND DRIVES<\/p>\n<p>Ottawa ranks last in time of possession (27:38), touchdown drive percentage (14.1 per cent) and two-and-out percentage (38 per cent). Many of their issues stem from turnovers as they\u2019ve coughed up the ball 17 times for a -9 turnover ratio. Making good decisions and taking care of the football would put them in a better position to come away with a win.<\/p>\n<p>NEED TO KNOW:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfl.ca\/players\/nic-demski\/161498\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-ga-category=\"Clicks - Article\" data-ga-action=\"article-player-link\" data-ga-opt-label=\"Nic Demski\">Nic Demski<\/a> is three receptions away from 450 in his career as a Bomber.<br \/>\nOttawa has won two of the team\u2019s past three meetings at TD Place.<br \/>\nKickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET, and can be watched on TSN\/RDS2 in Canada, on CBSSN in the U.S., and on CFL+ internationally.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"OTTAWA \u2014 The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Ottawa REDBLACKS wrap up Week 7 with a Sunday night showdown&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":810426,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":["post-810425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/810425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=810425"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/810425\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/810426"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=810425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=810425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=810425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}