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![\"Justin](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/4587539_web1_CP176644904.jpg\")
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Justin Tang \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Dru Brown will get the start on Friday. The club\u2019s backup pivot helmed the team to a 30-21 victory the last time the Toronto Argonauts were in town this season.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Toronto has won three straight and is coming off a 24-19 victory over the Edmonton Elks to clinch a home playoff game out of the East Division.<\/p>\n
The Bombers haven\u2019t suited up since the Banjo Bowl, when they grabbed everyone\u2019s attention by dominating the Saskatchewan Roughriders 19-6. The Blue and Gold will need more performances like that to climb the West standings, which currently have Edmonton (10-4), Saskatchewan (8-5), B.C. (7-6), Winnipeg (7-6) and Calgary (6-8) jockeying for position.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll these games are going to be very important down the stretch,\u201d said head coach Mike O\u2019Shea. \u201cYou like playing meaningful football right to the very end and in the West, that\u2019s the way it\u2019s going to be. I think it\u2019s great for the league.\u201d<\/p>\n
To get you ready for kickoff (7 p.m.), here\u2019s the latest edition of 5 Storylines.<\/p>\n
Collaros out, Brown in<\/p>\n
It remains to be seen when \u2014 or if \u2014 starting quarterback Zach Collaros returns this season.<\/p>\n
The Bombers placed the 38-year-old on the six-game injured list Thursday with a head injury, although he can be activated before the six games are up.<\/p>\n
Dru Brown will once again take over under centre and make his fifth start of the season.<\/p>\n
His first game back as starting pivot was in Week 6, and looked sharp. He completed 80 per cent of his passes for 339 yards, one touchdown and one interception. But in his three starts since, he left plenty to be desired.<\/p>\n
To build a stronger case for why he should be Collaros\u2019 heir \u2014 or a full-time starter elsewhere \u2014 a strong showing this week would go a long way.<\/p>\n
Collaros is in the final year of his contract, and given his injury history, it wouldn\u2019t be a surprise if he isn\u2019t back in Blue and Gold next season. Meanwhile, Brown is also in the final year of his deal.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs far as that goes, that\u2019s out of my control \u2014 all I can do is try to play good football and help us win right now,\u201d said Brown, who is 2-2 in 2026.<\/p>\n
Playing Toronto might bring out the best in him. Brown is 3-1 all-time against the Argos and has thrown for 300-plus yards in all four of those showdowns.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
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Negative yards<\/p>\n
To say the Bombers have a massive advantage on the ground this week would be an understatement.<\/p>\n
Everyone knows Winnipeg leans heavily on Brady Oliveira who is one of \u2014 if not the \u2014 best running back in the CFL.<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s Toronto, which is somehow coming off a win over the top team in the West despite finishing the contest with minus-one rushing yard.<\/p>\n
The Argos are just the second team in CFL history to win a game with negative rushing yards, joining the 1995 Birmingham Barracudas.<\/p>\n
Canadian rookie running back Isaiah Smith carried three times for minus-eight yards for Toronto.<\/p>\n
To make the Argos\u2019 win over Edmonton even more bizarre, they had the lowest recorded time of possession in CFL history \u2014 data was first compiled in 1994 \u2014 at 21:15.<\/p>\n
Toronto has made it clear it\u2019s capable of winning ugly.<\/p>\n
Air battle<\/p>\n
Something has to give.<\/p>\n
Argos quarterback Chad Kelly leads the CFL in passing yards with 4,777. He\u2019s averaging 341.2 yards per game, putting him on pace for 6,142 \u2014 which would rank third all-time behind Doug Flutie (6,619) and Kent Austin (6,225) for the single-season record.<\/p>\n
Kelly has thrown for 300-plus yards 10 times this season, including that Week 6 meeting with Winnipeg, when he finished with 320 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Bombers have had a quarterback eclipse 300 yards just four times \u2014 twice by Collaros and twice by Brown.<\/p>\n
Kelly also spreads the ball around, with Kevin Mital, Tyler Kahmann, David Ungerer III and team receiving leader Damonte Coxie and just eclipsed 1,000 yards in Week 16.<\/p>\n
But if anyone can slow Kelly down, it\u2019s likely Winnipeg.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t John Woods \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES<\/p>\n Winnipeg Blue Bombers safety Redha Kramdi (left) forced two turnovers \u2014 including an interception \u2014 in the Banjo Bowl. With the Toronto Argonauts already logging a league-leading 22 interceptions on the season, there should be plenty of takeaway opportunities for the Blue and Gold defence on Friday.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The Bombers boast the league\u2019s best pass defence, allowing 272.2 passing yards per game, and are coming off a brilliant outing in the Banjo Bowl where Riders quarterback Trevor Harris was limited to a 53 per cent completion rate, 231 yards and an interception.<\/p>\n Rookie cornerbacks Ridge Texada and Major Williams have proved to be excellent finds. Veteran halfbacks Evan Holm and Deatrick Nichols have rounded into form after slow starts. Then there\u2019s safety Redha Kramdi, who showed his worth by forcing two turnovers against Saskatchewan in his first game back after missing six with an injury.<\/p>\n The knock on the group has been its inability to finish plays, with far too many interceptable passes hitting the turf. Winnipeg is dead last with just five interceptions, but this will be a prime opportunity to increase that number because Kelly \u2014 a notorious gunslinger \u2014 has thrown a league-leading 22 interceptions.<\/p>\n Blocking the Boatmen<\/p>\n The Bombers aren\u2019t the only ones who are stellar on defence. The Argos lead the CFL with 33 sacks, including nine games with two or more.<\/p>\n Their pass rushers \u2014 most notably Shawn Lemon, who is tied for second in the league with eight sacks \u2014 should be licking their chops this week considering the Bombers have surrendered a league-high 32 sacks.<\/p>\n Toronto\u2019s defence has improved as the season has progressed. Through its opening nine games, it was conceding 32.3 points per game. In its last five, that number has dropped to 22.4.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Timothy Matwey \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES<\/p>\n Winnipeg Blue Bombers receiver Tim White (left) has been Mr. Reliable for the club this season. White hasn\u2019t missed a game and leads the club in catches (66), receiving yards (820), receiving touchdowns (five) and is on track for a 1000-yard year.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n White for 1K<\/p>\n Tim White has been Mr. Reliable for the Bombers. He hasn\u2019t missed a game and leads the club in catches (66), receiving yards (820) and receiving touchdowns (five).<\/p>\n With Ontaria Wilson (hand) on the six-game injured list, White\u2019s importance to the offence cannot be understated.<\/p>\n The first-year Bomber is still searching for his first 100-yard receiving game in Blue and Gold, though. With Toronto giving up 313.8 passing yards per game \u2014 the second-most in the CFL \u2014 there\u2019s a chance White finally gets there this week.<\/p>\n Even with the former Hamilton Tiger-Cat being in double digits on a weekly basis, White is still on track to reach 1,000 receiving yards for a fifth consecutive year.<\/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
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