{"id":813562,"date":"2026-07-20T05:34:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T05:34:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/813562\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T05:34:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T05:34:15","slug":"game-recap-wpg-36-ott-34-ot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/813562\/","title":{"rendered":"Game Recap | Wpg 36 Ott 34 (OT)"},"content":{"rendered":"

OTTAWA, ON. \u2014 It took a while \u2014 and it certainly caused some heart-pounding, blood-pressure spiking moments along the way \u2014 but Dru Brown got his revenge and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers came up with another unorthodox win here in the nation\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n

And so while there may have been some warts and flaws and some frustrating and perplexing sequences, the Blue Bombers have now won three straight courtesy a nutty 36-34 overtime victory over the Ottawa Redblacks in front of 14,148 fans Sunday night at TD Place.<\/p>\n

The win improves the Blue Bombers to 4-2 while the RedBlacks drop to 0-6 in crushing fashion.<\/p>\n

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Rallying from a 26-12 deficit in the fourth quarter, Brown connected with Nic Demski and Pokey Wilson for touchdowns, was at the controls as the teams traded field goals in the first two possessions in overtime and then hit Wilson and Gavin Cobb for two-point conversions in the new mini-game inside OT, while Redha Kramdi batted down a Jake Maier pass on the game\u2019s final play to seal the deal.<\/p>\n

Brown finished the day 27-of-43 for 317 yards and the two scores in the win, delivering an exclamation point in his first game against the team that traded him away less than a month ago.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt feels good. It feels good to win,\u201d said Brown. \u201cI\u2019m happy that our defence and special teams hung in there until we got in gear at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

And while he had downplayed the revenge-retribution angle all week \u2014 and post-game, too \u2014 Brown did concede his heart was pounding late when the team got the \u2018W\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI tried not to let the feels affect me during the week and I don\u2019t think it did, but I kind of allowed myself to feel that a little bit here,\u201d said Brown, before adding he was ecstatic this storyline can now be put to bed for a few weeks.<\/p>\n

Demmers in the \ud83c\udfe0.#ForTheW<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/9oTm7THnRw<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) July 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the thing about Dru \u2014 he\u2019s even-keeled and that\u2019s how he is on the field, too,\u201d added Demski. \u201cYou never thought we were down the way he was out there controlling the huddle. That\u2019s a great characteristic for a quarterback.<\/p>\n

\u201c(The revenge angle) wasn\u2019t something we talked about in the locker room, but obviously that was in the back of everybody\u2019s head \u2014 the situation he was in. So, for him to step up, and come in here and play the way he did and the full team to rally behind that\u2026 it was awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

More thoughts on a wild and wacky one from our view in the press box\u2026<\/p>\n

INSTANT TAKEAWAYS<\/p>\n

-First off, hands up if you\u2019re in favour of the CFL\u2019s OT format \u2014 ours is up, big-time. Settling this with the two-point converts meant there was a winner and a loser and prevents the tie. You could argue the RedBlacks deserve better, but\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a win so we\u2019ll just take it as that,\u201d said head coach Mike O\u2019Shea. \u201cWe\u2019ll stick to the process. Hopefully the players enjoy themselves tonight and we\u2019ll get back to work tomorrow, show them the film, talk about the things we need to correct and then move very quickly to the next.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026 The real big point in all this is the first six games we\u2019ve had a lot of different experiences \u2014 this being another of them \u2014 to learn from. They\u2019re not all the same lessons so I think this will help us be better in the long run.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked what the lessons learned would be from Sunday night, he added:<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s another piece of evidence that says the CFL is a great game. You\u2019re never out of it. The amount of focus required, where the attention should be put, if you don\u2019t play clean you\u2019re going to put yourself in peril\u2026. there\u2019s so many.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of them, we\u2019re learning again. And then the whole way overtime works with the two-point converts and those things\u2026 it\u2019s good to go through that.<\/p>\n

-The Blue Bombers got two sacks \u2014 one from veteran Willie Jefferson, the other the first career QB takedown by Michael Fletcher \u2014 and after giving up some big chunks early, the defence rallied when it mattered most, forcing four consecutive Ottawa punts before OT.<\/p>\n

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They also got a goal-line stand \u2014 Kyrie Wilson stepping up to stuff Bryson Barnes on third and goal from the one \u2014 and Jake Kelly\u2019s first career interception at the back of the end zone, both coming in the third quarter when Ottawa scores might have put the game to bed early.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish I could put that one into words,\u201d said linebacker Tony Jones, who finished with eight tackles. \u201cThat was one of those games that was a gritty win for us. It shows how tight of a team we have because there were times where not everything was clicking for us and we just found a way.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it was crunch time, we found a way.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Step up and take a bow, Gavin Cobb. Ditto, Redha Kramdi.<\/p>\n

The Blue Bombers and RedBlacks had each traded field goals through the first two rounds of overtime, then each scored two-point conversions as OT reached the third round.<\/p>\n

Brown then found Cobb for a two-point conversion \u2014 his first catch of the game \u2014 before Kramdi broke up Maier\u2019s attempt for Keelan White on the game\u2019s final play.<\/p>\n

NOT ON OUR WATCH.#ForTheW<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Ou2nzmG2lg<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) July 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThey left me open, the ball came my way and you\u2019ve got to make the play,\u201d said Cobb. \u201cIt is cool to have that moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

And with it coming after not being targeted all night before that, Cobb grinned.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was kind of like being a goalie in hockey with the puck in the other end all night long,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd then all of a sudden, boom, you\u2019ve got to make the big save when the puck comes your way.\u201d<\/p>\n

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19 \u2014 In forcing Ottawa to punt on four consecutive drives the Blue Bombers defence limited the RedBlacks offence to just 19 total yards in that stretch as Brown & Co. managed the late rally before OT.<\/p>\n

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The Blue Bombers are back home now for a long stretch. The Calgary Stampeders are the next opponent on Friday, July 24th with a 7:30 p.m. start, followed by a visit from the B.C. Lions on Thursday, July 30th.<\/p>\n

Winnipeg will then have its second bye of the season before the RedBlacks are in town on Friday, August 14th.<\/p>\n