{"id":864414,"date":"2026-08-20T01:36:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T01:36:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/864414\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T01:36:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T01:36:25","slug":"48-hour-primer-entering-the-gauntlet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/864414\/","title":{"rendered":"48 Hour Primer | Entering the Gauntlet"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a long-running British documentary series titled \u2018The World\u2019s Most Dangerous Roads\u2019 where a pair of celebrities hop in a 4\u00d74 and then traverse nasty stretches ranging from Siberia to Vietnam, the Italian Alps to Zambia and many points in between.<\/p>\n

The concept is straightforward, but it is one of those rabbit holes a viewer can tumble into for hours while watching.<\/p>\n

And what in tarnation does this have to do with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, you ask?<\/p>\n

Well, bear with us here as we weave in our clever little segue\u2026<\/p>\n

We\u2019re not supposed to do this in these parts \u2014 this, being gazing too far ahead beyond what\u2019s there on the horizon \u2014 but the Blue Bombers are about to open the second half of the Canadian Football League season with a nasty stretch of games that could define this club\u2019s fortunes.<\/p>\n

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It begins this Friday in Edmonton against the Elks \u2014 7-3 and in first place in the West Division \u2014 followed by a home date with the top team in the East in the 8-1 Montreal Alouettes and then the annual Labour Day Classic\/Banjo Bowl back-to-back with the defending Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders, who sit at 6-3.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a run which features the CFL\u2019s three best teams with a combined won-lost record of 21-7 for a .750 winning percentage.<\/p>\n

Hello.<\/p>\n

So, call the next month the Blue Bombers very own series of Most Dangerous Roads as they venture into a nasty gauntlet of games.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe next four games \u2014 this one, Montreal and then back-to-back against Sask \u2014 are big,\u201d said veteran defensive end Willie Jefferson in a chat with bluebombers.com on Wednesday. \u201cYes, we want to go 1-0 each week but if we can win these it would put us back up in the top in the West. We want it to snowball into a positive direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not about looking too far into the future but the best teams are the ones that get hot going into the playoffs. This would be the perfect time to start doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Blue Bombers second half schedule features two more games against the Roughriders, Elks and Alouettes with single meetings against Calgary, B.C. and Toronto. Winnipeg\u2019s final three games are also against three West opponents in Calgary, Edmonton and B.C.<\/p>\n

Critical now is to start making some inroads to set up those end of season contests.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re right where we need to be \u2014 not where we want to be, but we can still get to where we want to be,\u201d said cornerback Jonathan Moxey. \u201cWe\u2019ve still got to play every team in the West, some of them multiple times, so we\u2019ve got to go out and win games.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving said that, if you look too far ahead, you can forget what\u2019s right in front of you. You want to lock in and right now we\u2019ve got a divisional opponent, and this is our most important game of the schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Blue Bombers head coach Mike O\u2019Shea, not surprisingly, stiff-armed the notion of Friday being a \u2018measuring stick game\u2019 for the club \u2014 even as much as that might be the flavour-of-the-week narrative in these parts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would always measure ourselves against ourselves,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve never looked at a stretch of upcoming games. If you overlook your next opponent, you\u2019re going to be in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery single week when you put on that tape, it\u2019s a measuring stick game,\u201d added Moxey. \u201cYou see who you are this week. Last week doesn\u2019t matter. You can have a great game last week and then this week have a horrible game.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery week is an opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

JAKE SAYS: Blue Bombers defensive tackle Jake Ceresna spoke today about returning to face his old club, the resurgence of the Elks and other topics. Check that interview with the media out here:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

OUCH UPDATE: Practice was closed to the media on Wednesday, but the daily injury report indicates that RB Brady Oliveira and OL Tui Eli did not participate. Both are listed as questionable, as is SB Nic Demski and TE Dante Daniels, both of whom did practice.<\/p>\n

The same scenario unfolded last week before Oliveira and Demski authored solid efforts in the win over Ottawa. Asked specifically about Oliveira\u2019s availability, O\u2019Shea said:<\/p>\n

\u201cI expect him to play. Nothing\u2019s changed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The news isn\u2019t as good for second-year DB Ethan Ball, who left last week\u2019s game after suffering an Achilles injury.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be tough to see him again the rest of the season, for sure,\u201d said O\u2019Shea. \u201cHe was another key piece, extremely smart, gifted athletically, hyper-competitive, so that certainly hurts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Injury Report: August 19, 2026#ForTheW<\/a> | @DoctorsManitoba<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/AYu0oJzQn5<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) August 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

UPDATE TO THE UPDATE TO THE UPDATE: We told you earlier this week a couple of times about Blue Bombers kicker Sergio Castillo being the new CFL record holder for most 50-plus yards field goals in league history with 41.<\/p>\n

Check that. The league issued the following explanation in its Game Notes today:<\/p>\n

\"Image\"\/<\/p>\n