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MIKE DEAL \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Blue Bombers receiver Nic Demski (centre) said Monday the club\u2019s collapse to Edmonton on Friday was \u2018the tale of this year so far,\u2019 but the team is treating the regular-season finale against the B.C. Lions with a playoff game mindset.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t think, obviously, we\u2019d be in a situation like this,\u201d admitted quarterback Zach Collaros after Monday\u2019s practice at Fort Garry Lions Field. \u201cBut we are.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 8-9 Bombers blew an opportunity to clinch a post-season berth on the weekend in Edmonton. Now, it all comes down to Friday\u2019s regular-season finale in Vancouver.<\/p>\n
If the Bombers knock off the B.C. Lions (10-7), they\u2019re in. If they lose, they\u2019ll miss the playoffs for the first time since 2015 and the Calgary Stampeders will take their spot.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s quite the predicament for a team that entered the season with such high expectations.<\/p>\n
If the Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders (who play Saturday vs. Edmonton) both win this week, Winnipeg will finish fourth in the West and cross over to face the Toronto Argonauts in the Eastern Semifinal. The Bombers need a win and a Riders loss to finish third and face B.C. in the Western Semifinal.<\/p>\n
At this point, beggars can\u2019t be choosers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know if (a season) ever goes how you envision it,\u201d said defensive tackle Jake Ceresna.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s always going to be challenges\u2026 To think otherwise is to just be kind of ignorant of the future. The great news is we\u2019re in position to get to the playoffs. Win and we\u2019re in, I mean, I\u2019ll take that every year.\u201d<\/p>\n
With such a large sample size, this might simply be who the Bombers are: a team capable of impressing in stretches but not nearly consistent enough to compete with the league\u2019s best and win on a weekly basis.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor sure, that is the tale of this year so far,\u201d said receiver Nic Demski.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I think that\u2019s the key thing: so far. When the playoffs start, it\u2019s a whole brand new season. Right now, even though it\u2019s the regular season, our mindset is this is the playoffs, this is a must-win game. We gotta put it all together. And when you have that type of opportunity, you can still grab the bull by the horns and create your own destiny.\u201d<\/p>\n
Their latest loss followed a familiar script. The Bombers stormed out to a 21-10 lead over Edmonton in the first half, only to falter after the break and lose 35-27.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m tired of it, I\u2019m pretty sure everybody else on the team is tired of it as well \u2014 coaches included,\u201d said defensive end Willie Jefferson.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe go out there and we (play well) for the first half, then we come back for the second half and we\u2019re not able to duplicate it or finish up on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t John Woods \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES<\/p>\n Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike O\u2019Shea (centre) said Monday the team is playing better than it was at the beginning of the season, despite consistently struggling to play a complete 60 minutes.<\/p>\n The hourglass is down to the last few grains of sand, but Jefferson insists it\u2019s not too late to turn things around.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody wants to go home early,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel like once we get the win this week and get into the playoffs, things will start clicking. We get the monkey off the back from the season, and we flush the regular season, then we can just focus on playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n The Bombers are catching a significant break this week. The Lions have locked up the No. 2 seed in the West and are expected to rest key starters, including quarterback Nathan Rourke.<\/p>\n However, Winnipeg learned the hard way that B.C. can still be dangerous without Rourke. Led by rookie quarterback Kaidon Salter in his first career start, the Lions embarrassed the Bombers 35-19 in Winnipeg back in Week 9.<\/p>\n But Salter did play the final two quarters of B.C.\u2019s 32-13 loss in Calgary on the weekend and struggled, completing just six-of-14 passes for 113 yards and an interception.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was one of the most sour tastes we had in our mouth throughout one of the games this year,\u201d said linebacker Tony Jones.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n \t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \u201cWe want to go out there and not let these things get out of hand again and go out there and put a beating on those boys and go into the playoffs with some mojo.\u201d<\/p>\n But even if the Bombers do squeak in, do they really have what it takes to go on a run?<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re a better team than we were at the beginning of the season,\u201d said head coach Mike O\u2019Shea.<\/p>\n \u201cHave we strung together a full 60 minutes? Ah, you know, a few times this year, but we\u2019ve strung together a whole hell of a lot of good halves, and then some not-so-good halves. And this is the time where we have to do it. You just believe in the amount of work these guys do that this is going to happen.\u201d<\/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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